To buy stocks in Singapore, you need a brokerage account, and usually a Central Depository (CDP) account where your SGX shares are held in your name. Once the accounts are linked, you place an order through your broker, mostly in board lots of 100 shares, and the trade settles two market days later. Fees include the broker’s commission, SGX’s trading and clearing fees, and GST.
Investing can lose money. MoneySense warns that a shareholder can lose up to the full amount invested if a company fails. This guide explains the process; it does not suggest which shares to buy.
Step 1: Open a CDP Account
The CDP, run by Singapore Exchange (SGX), holds SGX-listed shares, ETFs, REITs and Savings Bonds bought for your own account. MoneySense lists the eligibility rules as at November 2026:
- Aged 18 or above.
- Not an undischarged bankrupt.
- A savings or current account with one of the banks CDP accepts. MoneySense names Citibank, DBS/POSB, HSBC, Maybank, OCBC, Standard Chartered and UOB.
You can apply online with your identity document and a recent bank statement, CPF statement or tax notice of assessment.
Set up the Direct Crediting Service so dividends go straight to your bank account. MoneySense notes that without it, dividends show on your CDP statement but the money does not reach you.
Step 2: Open a Brokerage Account
The broker sends your orders to the exchange. MoneySense describes two set-ups:
- CDP-linked: shares you buy go into your own CDP account.
- Custody (nominee): the broker holds the shares for you, and you trade only through that broker.
Linking a new trading account to your CDP account can take up to two weeks, says MoneySense. Our guide to what a brokerage account is and which to choose explains the trade-offs. Our platform comparison costs the main brokers on the same orders.
Step 3: Research Before You Buy
MoneySense suggests reading a company’s annual reports and SGXNET announcements, and understanding its business, finances and governance before buying. It also lists questions to ask yourself, including whether you could bear losing all or a large part of the money.
Be clear first about what you want from the shares. MoneySense suggests deciding whether you are building capital or seeking income, and how much risk you are prepared to take, then building a diversified portfolio around that. A handful of shares in one sector is not diversified.
If you would rather not research individual companies, an index ETF holds many at once. See our ETF investing guide.
Step 4: Place an Order to Buy Stocks in Singapore
You choose the stock, the quantity and the order type.
- Quantity. SGX shares mostly trade in board lots of 100. A $2.50 share costs $250 a lot before fees. SGX also has a unit share market for smaller quantities.
- Limit order. You set the highest price you will pay. The order fills only at that price or better.
- Market order. You buy at the best available price now. Quick, but the price may be worse than you expected in a thinly traded stock.
Trading hours. SGX’s rulebook sets these for a normal day, as at November 2026:
| Session | Time |
|---|---|
| Opening routine (orders entered, no trades) | 8.30am to 9am |
| Morning trading | 9am to 12pm |
| Mid-day break | 12pm to 1pm |
| Afternoon trading | 1pm to 5pm |
| Closing routine | 5pm to 5.06pm |
| Trade at close | 5.06pm to 5.16pm |
On half days, trading runs from 9am to 12pm.
Step 5: Settlement and Fees
SGX rules set settlement for ordinary trades at T+2, two market days after the trade. That is when payment and shares change hands through CDP.
On each trade you pay:
- Broker commission, often with a minimum per order.
- SGX fees: brokers’ fee pages list a trading access fee of 0.0075% and a clearing fee of 0.0325% of the trade value.
- GST on the fees.
Worked example: a S$960 purchase
Illustration with our own numbers. You buy 300 shares at $3.20, a trade value of $960.
| Custody account, $1.99 minimum commission | CDP-linked account, $10 minimum commission | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | $1.99 | $10.00 |
| SGX fees (0.04%) | $0.38 | $0.38 |
| GST at 9% on fees | $0.21 | $0.93 |
| Total cost | About $2.58 | About $11.31 |
| As a share of the trade | 0.27% | 1.18% |
Minimum commissions weigh most on small orders. On a $20,000 order, the gap shrinks to a small fraction of the trade. Commission rates here are illustrative; check your broker’s own page.
The short version: CDP account, brokerage account, link them, then buy in lots of 100. Settlement is two market days after the trade, and minimum commissions matter most on small orders.
After You Buy
- Dividends from Singapore-resident companies under the one-tier system are not taxable for individuals, says IRAS.
- Corporate actions such as rights issues need your attention. MoneySense explains that ignoring a rights issue dilutes your holding.
- Voting. Ordinary shareholders can attend and vote at general meetings.
- Records. Keep your contract notes and CDP or broker statements. They show what you paid, which you need to judge how an investment has really done after fees.
Shares are not covered by SDIC deposit insurance, which protects Singapore-dollar bank deposits only.
Buying US or Other Foreign Stocks
Foreign shares are held with the broker in custody, not in CDP. Two extra costs apply. Currency conversion has its own fee or spread. And the US withholds 30% of dividends paid to non-residents unless a tax treaty lowers it. Our US stock broker comparison covers both.
What To Do Next
- Open a CDP account and set up the Direct Crediting Service.
- Compare brokers on the order size you will actually place, in our platform comparison.
- Practise the maths on a planned order, including GST, before you place it.
- See how regular investing could add up in our compound interest calculator.
