Singapore multi-currency account for companies: how to choose one
DBS, OCBC and other banks offer multi-currency accounts, and so do digital providers. The difference shows in the FX margin, the minimum balance and whether you get local details to be paid in each currency.
- Published
- Reading time
- 2 min read
Search "Singapore multi currency account" and Google suggests DBS, HSBC, CIMB, OCBC, Maybank, UOB and BOC before anything else. Every big bank has one. For a company, the useful comparison is what each costs on a real month.
Bank account or digital account
| Bank multi-currency account | Digital multi-currency account | |
|---|---|---|
| Currencies | 10 or more on one account number | Many, often with local details per currency |
| Minimum balance | Common | Usually none |
| FX | Bank board rate with a margin | Usually closer to mid-market |
| Receiving USD from US clients | International wire | ACH or wire to US details, on some providers |
| Local payouts abroad | Telegraphic transfer | Local rails in many countries |
Where companies lose money
A Singapore agency invoices a US client $20,000. The client wires it to the agency's bank, which converts to SGD on arrival unless a USD wallet is set up. The agency then pays a freelancer in the Philippines and a supplier in Europe, converting SGD back out. Two conversions, two margins.
Hold the dollars, pay the dollar costs from them, and convert only what the business needs in SGD. On a 1% margin, avoiding one conversion of $20,000 saves about $200.
A test before you choose
Take last month's actual flows. For each provider, price:
- Receiving the largest foreign payment.
- Converting the amount you actually converted.
- Paying your three most common payees abroad.
Use the MAS published rate as the benchmark for each conversion.
Paying into Singapore: the local rail
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Local rail | FAST and PayNow |
| Run by | Banking Computer Services, under the Association of Banks in Singapore |
| Settlement | Seconds, 24/7, up to S$200,000 per FAST transfer |
Source: Association of Banks in Singapore: FAST. Checked when this guide was last updated; the scheme's own page has the current figures.
Where Rivet fits
Rivet is a multi-currency business account for registered companies. USD details come with the free Starter plan; EUR and GBP with Growth; HKD, CAD and 25 more currencies with Scale. Payouts reach 120+ countries on local rails where available, and the rate shows before you confirm. Check our eligibility list for Singapore companies. Rivet is not a bank; regulated partner institutions hold the funds. See Singapore companies paying across ASEAN.
Questions people ask
What is a multi-currency account in Singapore?
An account that holds balances in SGD and other currencies. At banks it is often one account number with several currency wallets. At digital providers it often comes with local details in each currency.
Do I need a minimum balance?
Bank multi-currency accounts commonly have one, with a fee if you fall below it. Digital accounts usually do not. Check the current figure on each bank's page.
Can US clients pay a Singapore company by ACH?
Only into US account details. Paying a Singapore bank's USD account usually means an international wire, with fees on both sides.
Which currencies matter most for Singapore companies?
USD for global clients, then the currencies of your regional suppliers and customers, such as MYR, IDR, THB, PHP and CNY.
Sources
Alexia compares the accounts, cards and payment tools companies weigh before they switch, and writes Rivet's market guides for founders in a specific country. Prices in Alexia's comparisons come from each provider's own pricing page on the date given in the article, rules come from the regulator or tax authority that sets them, and every source is listed at the end.
More from Alexia M. →This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change; check the sources above and the provider’s current terms before you act on them.
- singapore multi currency account
- foreign currency account
- fx
- asean payments
