UOB gold rates are two numbers, not one: the price the bank sells gold to you, and the lower price it buys it back. On 23 June 2026 a 100g PAMP bar showed a bank-sell of about S$17,343 and a bank-buy of about S$16,930, so you start roughly 2.4% underwater the moment you walk out. The rate sheet refreshes through the trading day and tracks the international spot price (around S$131.63 per gram that afternoon), adjusted for the Singapore market. This guide breaks down every UOB gold product, what the spread and fees really cost, and the 2026 rule changes that catch buyers out.
UOB quotes a live two-way price for physical gold on its online rate sheet. The bank-sell price is what you pay to buy a bar or coin; the bank-buy price is what UOB pays when you sell it back. The gap between them is the dealer spread, and it is how the bank earns on bullion. Prices are indicative, refresh through the day, and move with the international gold price converted into Singapore dollars.
On 23 June 2026 the international spot price sat near S$131.63 per gram (about S$4,094 an ounce). UOB's bar prices anchor to that, then layer on a fabrication premium for smaller pieces and a wider spread for coins. The smaller the bar, the higher the premium per gram, because the minting cost is fixed but spread over less metal.
If you only want price exposure without holding metal, the gold ETF route on SGX is usually cheaper than physical. Compare the trade-offs in our full guide to the five ways to own gold before deciding whether UOB's physical rates are the right tool for you.
Here are the indicative UOB rates pulled on 23 June 2026. Treat them as a snapshot: the live sheet changes daily, so always check the official UOB page before you transact. The spread column shows how far below the sell price the bank will buy the same item back on the same day.
| Product | Bank sells (you pay) | Bank buys (you get) | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1g PAMP bar | 212.00 | 167.00 | ~21% |
| 5g PAMP bar | 929.00 | 844.00 | ~9% |
| 10g PAMP bar | 1,857.00 | 1,691.00 | ~9% |
| 50g PAMP bar | 8,711.00 | 8,464.00 | ~2.8% |
| 100g PAMP bar | 17,343.00 | 16,930.00 | ~2.4% |
| 1 oz PAMP bar | 5,508.00 | 5,264.00 | ~4.4% |
| 1kg cast bar | 172,252.00 | 169,307.00 | ~1.7% |
| 1 oz gold bullion coin | 5,508.00 | 5,265.00 | ~4.4% |
The Gold Savings Account (GSA) lets you buy gold in grams through internet banking without taking delivery. UOB credits your account with the grams; there is no bar in a vault with your name on it. The minimum buy and minimum balance are both 5 grams, which works out to roughly S$660 at June 2026 prices.
From 1 April 2026 UOB simplified the service charge to a flat 0.25% per annum, calculated on the highest gold balance recorded in each calendar month and accrued in grams. The old structure also charged a minimum of 0.12 grams a month, which hurt small balances; the new flat 0.25% is cleaner. Fees are debited in gold at year-end or when you close the account, and the gram amount deducted is slightly higher because GST applies to the fee itself.
There is also a 3-cent-per-gram charge added to the quoted price when you buy (no charge when you sell), and a S$30 early-closure fee if you shut the GSA within six months. The GSA pays no interest or dividends, so your only return is the gold price moving. For comparison, the SGX-listed SPDR Gold Shares ETF runs an expense ratio near 0.4% a year, so the GSA's 0.25% is competitive for buy-and-hold. Run the maths on either path with our compound interest calculator.
Investment-grade gold sold by UOB carries no GST. Under IRAS rules, gold qualifies as an Investment Precious Metal (IPM) when it is at least 99.5% pure, in bar, ingot, wafer or qualifying coin form, and produced by a London Bullion Market Association accredited refiner. PAMP and Argor-Heraeus bars meet that bar, and UOB has applied the IPM exemption to its gold since the scheme began on 1 October 2012.
That exemption is a real edge over jewellery, which is taxed at the full GST rate, and over collectible coins that fail the IPM test. It is the same reason a diversification play into bullion does not bleed 9% to tax on entry. The catch: the 3-cent buy charge and the GSA service fee are themselves subject to GST, so 'tax-free gold' is not entirely fee-free.
Two recent policy shifts trip people up. First, from 1 March 2025, gold bought on or after that date can only be sold back to UOB by customers who hold a UOB Singapore current or savings account. If you bought before then, you can still sell back with satisfactory proof of purchase, but new buyers effectively need a UOB deposit account to exit through the bank.
Second, from 13 February 2026, all physical gold purchases and conversions at the UOB Gold Counter moved to appointment-only. Walk-ins are no longer accepted; appointment slots open from 6pm on the previous working day and the counter hours run to 6pm. Sell-backs are handled on weekdays, 9.30am to 4.30pm, and physical pieces must be in their original sealed packaging with the receipt.
If your plan is a long-term store of value rather than a quick flip, decide upfront where gold sits in your wider mix. Our beginner's guide to investing in Singapore frames how much to allocate before you commit cash to a low-yield asset like bullion.
Gold pays nothing while you hold it, so the whole bet is on price. The spread and fees mean the metal has to rise before you are even. A 1kg cast bar at a ~1.7% spread is the most efficient physical buy; a 1g bar at ~21% is the worst-value piece UOB sells. The GSA at 0.25% a year suits someone who wants grams on a screen rather than a bar in a safe.
For most people wanting a small gold sleeve in a portfolio, the cheapest exposure is still an ETF on SGX rather than physical UOB bars, because you skip the fabrication premium and the wide small-bar spread. UOB physical earns its keep when you specifically want metal in hand, value the GST exemption on chunky bars, and accept the buy-back constraints. Whatever you choose, size it against your goals first using our net worth calculator so a non-yielding asset does not crowd out things that compound.
UOB gold rates are indicative and update through the trading day in line with the international gold price converted into Singapore dollars. The bank can change them without notice, so the price you see in the morning may differ by the afternoon; always check the live UOB rate sheet immediately before you buy or sell.
The spread is the gap between UOB's bank-sell price and its lower bank-buy price for the same item. On 23 June 2026 it ranged from about 1.7% on a 1kg cast bar to roughly 21% on a 1g bar. The smaller the bar, the wider the spread, because the bank cannot recover its fixed minting and handling cost over so little metal.
No. UOB's investment-grade gold qualifies as an Investment Precious Metal under IRAS rules, meaning at least 99.5% purity and produced by an LBMA-accredited refiner, so it has been GST-exempt since 1 October 2012. Jewellery and non-qualifying coins are not exempt, and the GSA service charge and the 3-cent buy charge still attract GST.
Generally no for recent purchases. From 1 March 2025, gold bought on or after that date can only be sold back to UOB by customers holding a UOB Singapore current or savings account. Gold bought before that date can still be sold back with satisfactory proof of purchase, but new buyers should plan to open a UOB deposit account first.
From 1 April 2026 the GSA charges a flat 0.25% per annum on the highest gold balance each month, accrued in grams and debited yearly or at closure. There is also a 3-cent-per-gram charge when you buy, a S$30 early-closure fee within six months, and GST on the fees. The minimum buy and holding are both 5 grams.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.