This IG review for Singapore starts with the risk. IG is an MAS-licensed provider of CFDs and leveraged trading in Singapore, and its own Singapore website warns that CFDs are leveraged and can result in losses that exceed deposits. IG’s Singapore site does not publish the share of clients who lose money. Its UK site states that 70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with its UK entity, as at November 2026.
MoneySense’s warning applies in full: with leveraged products like CFDs, you may lose more than you originally invested, and short positions can lead to unlimited losses. This is a factual review of what IG offers and charges. It is not a suggestion to open an account or to trade.
What IG Offers in Singapore
IG Asia offers CFDs, which are contracts on the price of an asset rather than the asset itself. Its Singapore site lists CFDs on shares and ETFs, indices, forex, commodities, cryptocurrencies, bonds, interest rates and options, plus knock-outs. IG says it covers more than 13,000 markets.
You trade on IG’s own web and mobile platforms or on third-party platforms such as MetaTrader 4, ProRealTime and TradingView. Before you can open a CFD account, you need to pass a Customer Knowledge Assessment, because CFDs are Specified Investment Products.
If you are new to CFDs, our explainer on what CFDs are and how they differ from stocks sets out how margin and losses work before you read on.
IG Review: MAS Licence and Your Money
The MAS Financial Institutions Directory lists IG Asia Pte Ltd as a Capital Markets Services licensee. Its licence covers dealing in capital markets products (securities, collective investment schemes and over-the-counter derivatives) and providing custodial services. It is also an exempt financial adviser for issuing analyses and reports.
IG says client money is held in segregated trust accounts at banks including Standard Chartered and UOB, kept apart from IG’s own money. Segregation is not insurance. SDIC deposit insurance does not cover money held with a CFD provider, and nothing protects you from trading losses.
Losses beyond your deposit
IG Asia’s customer agreement, dated October 2026, says its transactions “carry a high level of risk and can result in losses that exceed your initial deposit”. If your account ends in a debit balance after positions are closed, you pay that amount. We found no negative balance protection in the agreement.
IG Fees and Charges (as at November 2026)
All figures are from IG Singapore’s charges page and product detail pages. IG says its charges include GST where applicable.
| Item | IG Singapore charge |
|---|---|
| Singapore share CFDs: commission | 0.10% per side, minimum S$10 online |
| US share CFDs: commission | 2 cents a share, minimum US$10 |
| Share CFDs: overnight funding (long) | Benchmark interest rate plus a funding adjustment, usually 3% a year |
| Share CFDs: short positions | Borrowing charge, including a 0.5% administration fee |
| EUR/USD CFD: spread | From 0.6 points; retail margin 5% |
| Forex: overnight funding | Tom-next rate plus an administrative charge of up to 0.8% a year |
| Currency conversion of profit and loss | Up to 0.5% (share CFDs) or 0.7% (forex CFDs) of the spot rate |
| Guaranteed stop (share CFDs) | Premium normally 0.3% or 0.7%, up to 1.5%, charged only if triggered |
| Account opening, maintenance, deposits, withdrawals | No IG fee; some card payments carry a 2% processor fee |
| ProRealTime charts | S$60 a month, refunded if you place four or more trades that month |
IG runs welcome bonuses and other promotions. They change often and we do not quote them; they do not change the costs or the risks above.
The short version: IG is a licensed CFD provider with published charges, but every CFD position carries leverage, daily funding costs and the risk of owing more than you deposited.
Worked Example: A One-Month SGX Share CFD
Our illustration: a CFD on S$10,000 of an SGX-listed share, held for 30 days. IG’s page says the minimum margin on share CFDs is 10%; we assume 20%, so you deposit S$2,000. We assume a benchmark rate of 2% a year, which is not IG’s quoted rate; check the live rate.
- Commission: S$10 to open and S$10 to close (0.10% of S$10,000 equals the minimum).
- Funding: 2% plus 3% is 5% a year on S$10,000, about S$41 for 30 days.
- Total cost: about S$61 for one month, or 3% of your S$2,000 deposit.
If the share falls 10% in that month, you lose S$1,000 on the price move plus about S$61 in costs: more than half your deposit. A 20% fall wipes out the deposit entirely.
Who IG Does Not Suit
- Long-term investors. Daily funding makes CFDs a costly way to hold shares for years. A broker account to buy the shares outright is cheaper; see our SGX broker comparison.
- Beginners. CFDs are among the riskiest products sold to retail investors.
- Anyone who cannot meet a margin call at short notice, or who would be harmed by losing more than they deposited.
- Anyone attracted mainly by a welcome bonus.
Other MAS-licensed CFD providers we have reviewed on the same factual basis are CMC Markets and OANDA. For long-term investing, start with our investment platforms compared guide.
What To Do Next
- Look up IG Asia in the MAS Financial Institutions Directory yourself.
- Read IG’s Risk Disclosure Statement and customer agreement, especially the sections on margin and debit balances.
- Price a position you might hold on IG’s product detail pages, including funding for the full holding period.
- Compare it with what steady, unleveraged investing could do using our compound interest calculator.
