Tiger Brokers is one of the low-cost apps Singapore investors shortlist when fees start to matter. The thing the ads gloss over: almost every charge is two line items, not one. A US trade is US$0.005 a share in commission plus US$0.005 a share in platform fee, so the real floor is US$0.01 a share, minimum US$1.99 an order. An SGX trade is 0.03% commission plus 0.03% platform fee, which is 0.06% all-in, minimum S$1.99. The promos and the zero custody fee are real; the single headline number is not. This 2026 review separates the marketing from the figures you actually pay, explains the Cash Boost account and its CDP-sell trick, and shows where Tiger fits against moomoo and Interactive Brokers. All figures are from Tiger's own Singapore pages and the MAS directory, verified June 2026.
Tiger Brokers is the trading app; the licensed entity behind it in Singapore is Tiger Brokers (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Nasdaq-listed UP Fintech Holding (ticker TIGR). It holds a Capital Markets Services Licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and is listed as an Exempt Financial Adviser on the MAS Financial Institutions Directory.
The pitch is one app for several markets: SGX, US, Hong Kong, China A-shares and Australia stocks, plus ETFs, US options, futures, warrants, ADRs and US Treasuries, wrapped in a mobile platform (Tiger Trade) with a Lite view for beginners and a Pro view for active traders. For a first or second brokerage, that breadth at a low entry cost is the draw.
If you are still deciding whether to buy individual stocks at all, our guide to starting investing in Singapore walks through the broker-versus-robo-versus-ETF decision before you tie yourself to any platform.
Tiger markets low, round figures. The honest version is that on stocks you pay a commission and a separate platform fee on the same trade, and you have to add them to see the true cost. Here is the steady-state schedule from Tiger Brokers Singapore's own commissions page, verified June 2026. Treat exchange, clearing, regulatory and stamp-duty charges as extra on top of everything below.
Two patterns catch beginners. On US stocks the all-in floor is US$0.01 a share but the minimum is US$1.99 an order, so 100 shares of a US$30 stock costs the US$1.99 minimum, not US$1. On SGX the 0.06% all-in only shows its weight on small trades: a S$2,000 SGX buy costs about S$1.99 (the minimum bites), while a S$10,000 buy costs about S$6. The fee structure is capped per side, so very large orders do not run away with percentage charges.
| Market | Commission | Platform fee | All-in minimum per order |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stocks & ETFs | US$0.005/share (min US$0.99) | US$0.005/share (min US$1.00) | US$1.99 |
| SGX stocks & ETFs | 0.03% (min S$0.99) | 0.03% (min S$1.00) | S$1.99 |
| Hong Kong stocks | 0.03% (min HK$7) | 0.03% (min HK$8) | ~HK$15 |
| China A-shares | 0.03% (min CNH7) | 0.03% (min CNH8) | ~CNH15 |
| Australia stocks | 0.03% (min AU$2) | 0.07% (min AU$6) | ~AU$8 |
| US options | US$0.35/contract | US$0.30/contract | US$0.65/contract |
When a review or an ad says US stocks cost US$0.005 a share, that is only the commission half. The platform fee is the other US$0.005, so the working figure is US$0.01 a share, floored at US$1.99 an order. The same trap applies to SGX, where 0.03% is half the story and 0.06% is the real cost. None of this makes Tiger expensive; it makes the single-number marketing incomplete, which matters when you are comparing brokers line by line.
By default, SGX shares you buy and settle through Tiger are held under Tiger's nominee with the Central Depository, which means the shares sit under Tiger's custodian arrangement rather than registered to you directly. That is cheaper to run and fine for most investors, but it is not the same as owning the shares in your own CDP account. If you are new to this, the CDP glossary entry explains what direct ownership actually buys you.
Tiger's twist is the Cash Boost account. It is primarily a contra-trading account (trade now, settle later) with a default credit limit around S$20,000, but it also lets you link your existing CDP account to sell SGX shares you already hold in your own name, at a low platform fee of around 0.12% (minimum S$5) with no commission. The catch, and the part skimmed in most reviews: the CDP linkage supports selling only. When you buy and settle SGX stocks through Tiger, they go into Tiger's custodian pool, not back into your CDP account.
So the practical model is: use Tiger's custodian route for cheap buying and US exposure, and use Cash Boost's CDP linkage as a low-cost exit for SGX shares already sitting in your CDP. If holding SGX blue chips in your own name from the start is non-negotiable, a CDP-linked bank broker is the cleaner fit. Our step-by-step guide to opening a CDP and brokerage account covers that route.
Tiger supports investing eligible SGX-listed stocks and ETFs using SRS funds, which suits anyone already topping up their Supplementary Retirement Scheme for the tax relief and wanting to deploy it rather than leave it earning the default rate. CPF Ordinary Account investing has been offered for eligible SGX products too, though CPF and SRS rules and the eligible-product list change, so confirm the current scope in-app before you rely on it.
On uninvested cash, Tiger's strength is the Cash Boost contra model rather than a high-yield cash-management fund: contra trading lets you trade without funding the full settlement amount upfront, which is a different benefit from parking spare cash to earn a yield. If your goal is to make idle cash work while you wait to invest, compare a money market option against fixed deposits and T-bills in our SSB vs T-bill vs fixed deposit comparison, and see what the same cash does invested versus parked with the fixed deposit vs investing calculator.
Contra trading deserves a warning of its own: buying without upfront cash and settling later can amplify losses just as it amplifies convenience. If a contra position moves against you before settlement, you owe the difference. Treat the credit limit as a settlement tool, not free buying power.
Tiger Brokers (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. is MAS-licensed and, under the Securities and Futures Act, must keep client money and assets segregated from the firm's own, held in segregated trust and custodian accounts. That segregation is the first layer of protection: if the firm itself failed, segregated client assets are not part of its creditor pool.
What that does not mean: Singapore has no government compensation scheme for investment losses, and the SDIC scheme insures bank deposits up to S$100,000, not brokerage holdings. Tiger's group is a member of the US Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), which can cover eligible US securities up to US$500,000 (with a US$250,000 cash sub-limit) if the relevant US broker-dealer fails, but that cover attaches to the US entity, not automatically to every client routed through the MAS-regulated Singapore arm. Check which entity holds your assets before assuming SIPC applies, and read SIPC as protection against broker failure, not against your stock falling in value.
Net: Tiger is a legitimate, MAS-regulated, listed-parent broker, not a fly-by-night app. Your real risk is the investments you choose, which is why position sizing and diversification matter far more than the broker logo. Sense-check your overall position with our financial health calculator before sizing into single stocks.
Few people choose Tiger in isolation; they weigh it against moomoo, Webull, Interactive Brokers and the CDP-linked bank brokers (DBS Vickers, OCBC Securities, UOB Kay Hian). The rough split: newer custodian apps (Tiger, moomoo, IBKR) for low fees and overseas access, versus CDP-linked bank brokers for SGX shares in your own name.
Against moomoo, Tiger's profile is similar low fees and aggressive promos, with Tiger's Cash Boost contra and CDP-sell linkage as a distinguishing feature and a slightly more trader-oriented options and futures toolkit. Read our moomoo Singapore review for the other side of that match-up. Against Interactive Brokers, Tiger is friendlier for a first-timer with simpler pricing and frequent sign-up perks, but IBKR wins on breadth of markets and a market-leading roughly 0.03% currency-conversion rate that compounds for anyone funding in SGD and buying US assets often, covered in our Interactive Brokers Singapore review.
Where Tiger fits: a beginner-to-intermediate investor who trades US and SGX stocks, ETFs and the occasional option in modest size, values a clean app, will actually use the promos before they lapse, and is comfortable with custodian holding for buys. If you would rather not pick stocks at all, a robo-advisor or a single broad ETF may beat any brokerage on effort, which our robo-advisor vs DIY ETF comparison breaks down.
| Broker | Share ownership | Typical fee level | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiger Brokers | Custodian (CDP-sell via Cash Boost) | Low; promo-driven; 0.06% SGX | Beginners wanting a simple app, contra and sign-up perks |
| moomoo | Custodian (CDP linkage available) | Low; promo-driven | Beginners wanting a polished app and free-share promos |
| Interactive Brokers | Custodian | Very low; cheapest FX | Multi-market investors, frequent FX, larger accounts |
| Bank brokers (DBS Vickers etc.) | CDP (your own name) | Higher per trade | Owning SGX blue chips directly |
Tiger's welcome rewards rotate constantly and stack registration perks with deposit-and-trade conditions. As of June 2026 the running offers have included Tiger coins on registration (redeemable for free trades), a window of commission-free trades across US, HK and SG stocks and futures, a free Starbucks share for an initial deposit above a threshold, and partner-site exclusives such as cash via PayNow or a hardware gift for funding around S$3,000 and completing a buy trade. Every one of these has changed before, so the only numbers that count are the ones on Tiger's official promo page on the day you sign up.
Read the fine print for three things: the minimum deposit and how long it must stay, whether free shares or coins vest immediately or only after a holding period, and the cut-off date. A free share that requires S$3,000 locked for a set window is a reward on your idle cash, not free money, so weigh it against what that cash would earn elsewhere. Never deposit more than you intended to invest just to chase a promo, and never let the contra credit limit tempt you into trades you could not settle in cash.
Each stock trade has two parts. US stocks cost US$0.005 a share commission plus US$0.005 a share platform fee, so US$0.01 a share all-in, minimum US$1.99 an order. SGX stocks cost 0.03% commission plus 0.03% platform fee, which is 0.06% all-in, minimum S$1.99. Exchange and regulatory third-party fees apply on top, as of June 2026.
Yes. Tiger Brokers (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. holds a MAS Capital Markets Services Licence and must segregate client money and assets from its own under the Securities and Futures Act. Its group is a SIPC member covering eligible US securities up to US$500,000, but SIPC attaches to the US entity, not automatically the MAS arm, and brokerage holdings are never SDIC-insured.
Only partly. SGX shares you buy and settle through Tiger sit in Tiger's custodian pool, not your CDP account. The Cash Boost account lets you link your CDP to sell shares you already hold in your own name at a low fee, around 0.12% with no commission, but the CDP linkage supports selling only, not buying into CDP.
Tiger and moomoo are close, both low-fee and promo-driven; Tiger's edge is contra trading and CDP-sell linkage. Interactive Brokers usually wins on currency conversion at around 0.03% and on market breadth, with that gap widening as your balance grows and you convert SGD to USD often. Match the broker to your trade size, markets and how often you convert currency.
There is no minimum deposit to open or maintain a Tiger Brokers account in Singapore, so you can fund any amount. You can buy fractional US shares from around US$2, and there are no deposit, withdrawal, inactivity or account-maintenance fees, though exchange and regulatory charges still apply to each trade.
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.