Subscription Modal Banner
Weekly newsletter subscription
Get SingSaver’s top tips and deals, plus an exclusive free guide to investing, sent straight to your inbox.

I agree to the terms and conditions and agree to receive relevant marketing content according to the privacy policy.

Success Tick Icon
Congratulations on successfully joining Singsaver Newsletter

Best Cash Management Accounts In Singapore To Soup Up Your Savings (2024)

Ching Sue Mae

Ching Sue Mae

Last updated 09 January, 2024

Birthed as an alternative solution to high-yield savings accounts, here’s a side-by-side comparison of the cash management accounts available in Singapore. 

Savings accounts have traditionally been the go-to option to keep our hard-earned cash. If you’re savvy enough, you’d opt for a high-yield savings account, hit the qualifying criteria, and earn yourself bonus interest rates. 

However, even with interest rates going up across the board recently, fixed deposits don't provide enough flexibility to most who want to preserve and grow cash sustainably. 

Enter cash management accounts, sometimes also termed as cash management solutions. 

Cash management accounts have only been launched in the recent year or two, when robo-advisors saw a gap in the market — the lack of a place to store idle cash, with decent yields and liquidity.

For example, StashAway Simple Plus was launched in July 2022, Endowus Cash Smart in June 2020, and Syfe Cash+ in January 2021. However, Endowus did update its Cash Smart product with a new option, Ultra.

Here’s a comparison of the six different providers offering cash management accounts in Singapore. 


🎉SingSaver's March Madness Grand Lucky Draw🎉: Get 1x chance to win a pair of Round Trip Business Class plane tickets to Tokyo (worth S$13,144) when you successfully open a Tiger Brokers account. Promo runs from 6 Mar 2024, 5pm, to 31 Mar 2024. T&Cs apply.

TIGER_MM2024_BLOGARTICLE_800x250

SingSaver Exclusive: Receive up to S$120 cash when you open a Tiger Brokers account and fund any amount. Additionally, get S$200 when you fund a minimum amount of USD 1,000. Valid till 31 March 2024. T&Cs apply.

Also, get up to USD 888 worth of rewards and 8% p.a. bonus interest when you deposit and trade with your Tiger Brokers account. Valid till 31 March 2024. T&Cs apply.


Every spending situation is unique. SingSaver assembles the 'Best For' list, so you can decide what’s best for you.



  Syfe Cash+ Endowus Cash Smart StashAway Simple/ Simple Plus StashAway Simple Guaranteed FSMOne AutoSweep Tiger Vault
Projected returns* 3.8% to 5.4% p.a. Secure: 3.5% to 3.8% p.a.  

Enhanced: 4.2% to 4.5% p.a.

Ultra: 4.6% to 4.9% p.a.
(Projected returns calculated as of  30 Nov 2023)
3.7% p.a. (Simple) 4.9% p.a. (Simple Plus) 3.8% p.a. Latest net yield: 3.270% p.a. (Updated as of 9 Jan 2024) Up to 8% p.a. 
Management fee None 0.05% per year None (0.2% p.a. for StashAway Simple Plus) None 0.05% per quarter None
Underlying funds - 30% LionGlobal SGD Money Market Fund
- 70% LionGlobal SGD Enhanced LiquidityFund SGD Class I (Accumulation)
Secure:
- 50% Fullerton SGD Cash Fund
- 50% LionGlobal SGD Enhanced Liquidity

Enhanced:
- 50% UOB United SGD Fund
- 50% LionGlobal SGD Enhanced Liquidity

Ultra:
- 27.5% LionGlobal SGD Enhanced Liquidity Fund
- 25% Fullerton Short Term Interest Rate Fund
- 25% LionGlobal Short Duration Bond Fund
- 12.5% Nikko AM Shenton Income Fund
- 10% PIMCO GIS Low Duration Income Fund
Stashaway Simple:
- 30% LionGlobal SGD Money Market Fund
- 70% LionGlobal SGD Enhanced Liquidity Fund

Stashaway Simple Plus:
-20% LionGlobal SGD Enhanced Liquidity Fund
- 35% Nikko AM Shenton Short Term Bond Fund
- 45% LionGlobal Short Duration Bond Fund
Citibank fixed deposits - 55% LionGlobal New Wealth Series (LionGlobal SGD Enhanced Liquidity I Acc SGD)
- 25% Fullerton SGD Cash Fund A SGD
- 20% Cash

- Fullerton SGD Cash Fund

- United SGD Money Market

- LionGlobal SGD Enhanced Liquidity

- Fullterton USD Csah Acc

- LionGlobal USD Enhanced Liquidity

Minimum deposit amount No min. deposit or min. balance required Min. initial investment on Endowus is S$1,000.

No minimum balance that must be maintained in Cash Smart. 
No deposit requirements, withdrawal restrictions or account balance required None S$50, no minimum balance 

Min. S$100 for recurring top-up amount

Min. withdrawal amount of S$50
None
Ease of transferring money in - FAST transfer
- PayNow via UEN or QR code
- Wire transfer (Telegraphic Transfers), or online payment services for amounts in USD
- FAST transfer
- PayNow via UEN or QR code 
- FAST transfer
- PayNow via UEN

- Fast transfer

- eGIRO

- FAST transfer
- PayNow via UEN
- FAST transfer
- PayNow via UEN
Deposit and withdrawal time  Deposits: Within 3 - 4 business days

Withdrawals: Within 4 - 5 business days
Deposits: Within 2 - 3 business days (Non-Singaporean bank transfers may take longer) 

Withdrawals:- Cash redemptions: 6 business days- CPF/SRS redemptions: 10 business days
Deposits: Up to 2 - 3 business days (3 - 4 business days for SRS funds)

Withdrawals: 3 - 4 business days 

Deposits: same day for transfers between 12 am to 11:30am, otherwise 1 - 4 business days

Withdrawals: 1 - 2 business days (3 - 4 business days for SRS funds)

Deposits: Transaction Date + 1 business day. 

Withdrawals: Approximately T+3 business days to complete
Deposits: 1 - 3 business days

Withdrawals: 2 - 3 business days
Funding type Cash Cash, SRS Cash, SRS Cash, SRS Cash Cash

*Do keep in mind that projected returns are not guaranteed and are subject to change at any time. Furthermore, as your money is put into the underlying funds, the returns you receive are ultimately dependent on the market situation. 

🎉SingSaver's March Madness Grand Lucky Draw🎉: Get 3x chances to win a pair of Round Trip Business Class plane tickets to Tokyo (worth S$13,144) when you successfully open a Webull account. Promo runs from 6 Mar 2024, 5pm, to 31 Mar 2024. T&Cs apply.

Webull_S$90_S$120Cash_BLOGARTICLE_800x250

⚡Flash Deal⚡: Be one of the first 4 successful applicants daily at 12pm who opens a Webull account and fulfill promotion criteria to receive an Apple AirPods Pro (Gen 2) + MagSafe Charging case USB-C bundle (worth S$365.70) on top of existing rewards. Valid till 31 March 2024. T&Cs apply.

SingSaver Exclusive Offer: Sign up for a Webull account and fund a min. of S$700 to receive S$100 cash via PayNow. Get an additional S$40 (total S$140) when you fund S$2000. Valid till 31 March 2024. T&C's apply.

Also, get up to USD 5,000 worth of free shares when you subscribe to Moneybull and fund at least USD 2,000 by 01 Apr 2024. Valid till 1 April 2024. T&Cs apply.

Plus, get up to USD 3,150 worth of free shares when you transfer in over USD 5,000 worth of shares and fulfil the requirements. Valid till 1 April 2024. T&Cs apply.

Low risk low returns investment vehicles

Syfe Cash+ 

The latest entrant to the cash management solution space is Syfe’s Cash+ account. Offering a high potential return of 3.8% to 5.4% p.a., it’s an attractive option for those looking to maximise their savings. 

If you’re comparing Syfe Cash+ and StashAway Simple, you’ll find that they have similar underlying funds. The key difference is the 35% Syfe Cash+ allocates towards the LionGlobal Short Bond Fund that gives Syfe Cash+ greater bond exposure. 

Syfe is a robo-advisor that offers unique portfolios such as: 

  • Syfe Global ARI: A one-size-can-fit-all portfolio 
  • Syfe REIT+: A portfolio that invests in REITs, similar to a REIT ETF
  • Syfe Equity100: Investing in purely equities 
  • Syfe Core: Access multiple asset classes and global diversification to maximise long-term, risk-adjusted returns. Choose between Core Growth, Core Balanced or Core Defensive depending on your investment objectives.

To put your money in Syfe Cash+, you don’t need to invest in any other Syfe portfolio. However, if you are signing up via a referral, do keep in mind that the referral incentives are only for Syfe’s investment portfolios, not Syfe Cash+ (as Cash+ doesn't incur any management fees).

Check out our full review of Syfe here.


Endowus Cash Smart

Endowus is the first robo-advisor that allows you to invest not just cash and Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) funds, but also your CPF money. This means that those looking to earn more than the 2.5% p.a. you’re getting in your CPF Ordinary Account now have the option of investing this money in the likes of funds that track the S&P 500 index and more. 

There are three different Cash Smart accounts for you to choose from:

  • Secure: 3.5% to 3.8% p.a. projected returns after fees
  • Enhanced: 4.2% to 4.5% p.a. projected returns after fees
  • Ultra: 4.6% to 4.9% p.a. projected returns after fees

Endowus Cash Smart (Secure) is the safest option of the three, though you have the flexibility to, well, enhance your returns with Endowus Cash Smart (Enhanced). Finally, Endowus Cash Smart (Ultra) is self-explanatory for the most part, boasting the highest projected returns out of all three accounts.

All Endowus Cash Smart options come with a small access fee of 0.05% p.a.

Besides Endowus Cash Smart, you can also invest your cash with: 

  • Endowus Secure portfolios for General Wealth Accumulation: Main portfolio offering that invests in best-in-class, low-cost funds 
  • Endowus Fund Smart: Customise your own investment portfolio based on the funds that they have available. You can also focus on sustainable investing by investing in the ready made Endowus ESG portfolios.

For Endowus, you won’t need to invest with their investment portfolios before you can use Endowus Cash Smart. Furthermore, the S$10,000 min. initial investment of old has now been lowered to S$1,000 till further notice.

Check out our full review of Endowus here.


StashAway Simple and Simple™ Plus

The ‘OG’ of cash management accounts, StashAway Simple is not new to the market. Earning a projected 3.7% p.a., StashAway Simple does not impose a minimum deposit amount and there is no management fee charged.

There is also StashAway Simple™ Plus, which offers a higher projected rate of 4.9% p.a. from allocation to short-duration bonds and underlying funds.

Both StashAway Simple and StashAway Simple™ Plus are offered to all users, even if you’re not yet investing with StashAway.

StashAway chooses a variety of best-in-class ETFs for their portfolios. Besides StashAway Simple, there are three different types of portfolios offered by StashAway. Their portfolios consist of:

  • General Investing: A portfolio tailored based on the risk exposure you are willing to take on
  • Goal-based Investing: Invest based on your financial goals, such as retirement and home ownership
  • Income Portfolio: Singapore-focused portfolio that aims to earn reliable income. Also the only portfolio with a minimum investment amount of S$10,000

New investors embarking on your investment journey can also tap on the free resources StashAway provides.

Check out our full review of StashAway here.


SingSaver's Exclusive Offer: Enjoy waiver of management fees on up to the first S$40,000 invested in the first 6 months. No minimum deposit required. T&Cs apply.




StashAway Simple Guaranteed

StashAway Simple Guaranteed currently offers a guaranteed rate of 3.8% p.a. with a lock-in period of 6 months. There's no minimum or maximum amount you can invest in, and you can invest from as low as S$1. 

However, unlike most cash management accounts, which invest in bond funds and market funds, the underlying fund for Simple Guaranteed is fixed deposits with Citibank. As such, it has a lower risk than other cash management accounts. 

StashAway Simple Guaranteed rates are also reviewed daily and updated when needed to optimise your returns. 

Therefore, you need to check the prevailing rate in the StashAway app and lock in the rate when you think it's favourable. Once you've locked in your rate, you'll earn a guaranteed return after the 6-month lock-in period. Note that you can't withdraw your funds during the lock-in period. 

Once your Simple Guaranteed portfolio matures, you can choose to reinvest or withdraw your funds. However, you won't earn any returns after the lock-in period unless you lock them again with a new rate. 

However, note that StashAway Simple Guaranteed isn't insured under SDIC. That said, StashAway is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the underlying fund is fixed deposits with Citibank, one of the top global banks. 

 

FSMOne Auto-Sweep

Almost like a ‘wallet’ for investors using the FSMOne platform to make trades, FSMOne AutoSweep serves as a storage space for idle money, sweeping your excess cash such as sales proceeds, bond maturities, dividends, coupons into the account. The latest net yield is 3.270% as of 9 January 2024.

The Auto-Sweep account is a discretionary portfolio managed by FSM that is diversified across cash, money market funds and short duration bond funds. This helps to preserve your capital and even allows your funds to earn higher returns while staying liquid.

Besides the Auto-Sweep account, FSM is an investment platform that provides investors with access to:

  • Global unit trusts and mutual funds
  • Local and global bonds
  • Stocks on the Singapore, Hong Kong and US market
  • Managed portfolio services
  • Insurance products

The funds in your Auto-Sweep account can be used to pay for the purchase of funds, stocks, bonds and ETFs without lag time.


Tiger Vault

Tiger Vault is a cash management account by Tiger Brokers. It aims to provide yields that are higher than savings accounts and fixed deposits, and invests in conservative assets such as money market funds and government bonds which carry very little risks. Though, note that the returns aren't guaranteed. 

Currently, it offers a return of up to 8% p.a., but keep in mind that the interest rate is updated regularly and may change according to market conditions so the returns aren't guaranteed. 

To access Tiger Vault, you need to have a Tiger Brokers account. Tiger Vault has a multi-currency vault which allows you to select the mutual funds in SGD and USD. 

The list of mutual funds in SGD include:

  • Fullerton SGD Cash Fund
  • United SGD Money Market
  • LionGlobal SGD Enhanced Liquidiy

Meanwhile, the list of mutual funds in USD include:

  • Fullerton USD Cash Fund
  • LionGlobal USD Enhanced Liquidity

As for fees, there are no fees for subscription, redemption or interest. But there are various expense ratios for the underlying funds. There's also no minimum investment amount. 

There's also an auto-sweep feature which allows you to sweep uninvested cash into the Tiger Vault, allowing you to maximise the returns on your idle cash. Moreover, this feature also lets you maintain your purchasing power as the funds will be used for trading instead of letting is sit idly in your account.  

Tiger_Brokers

🎉SingSaver's March Madness Grand Lucky Draw🎉: Get 1x chance to win a pair of Round Trip Business Class plane tickets to Tokyo (worth S$13,144) when you successfully open a Tiger Brokers account. Promo runs from 6 Mar 2024, 5pm, to 31 Mar 2024. T&Cs apply.

TIGER_MM2024_BLOGARTICLE_800x250

SingSaver Exclusive: Receive up to S$120 cash when you open a Tiger Brokers account and fund any amount. Additionally, get S$200 when you fund a minimum amount of USD 1,000. Valid till 31 March 2024. T&Cs apply.

Also, get up to USD 888 worth of rewards and 8% p.a. bonus interest when you deposit and trade with your Tiger Brokers account. Valid till 31 March 2024. T&Cs apply.




 


Go one step further - invest the cash

Cash management accounts are exemplary for growing your savings. It also makes an easy, less daunting entry into the world of investing, particularly with robo-advisors.

A simple question to ask yourself: Do you really need this cash to be liquid? If you find yourself not relying on that cash in your cash management account (or even forgetting the account exists), perhaps you’re missing out on the opportunity to invest these funds instead.

While their investment services could come with higher risk compared to their cash management accounts, remember that you have the option to select a portfolio that is tailored for your risk appetite and financial goals.


 


Every spending situation is unique. SingSaver assembles the 'Best For' list, so you can decide what’s best for you.


 


 


Read these next:
12 Best Fixed Deposit From Top Banks In Singapore To Lock In Your Savings
Best Short & Long Term Endowment Plans in Singapore 
Best Robo Advisors To Auto-Pilot Your Investments In Singapore
Regular Savings Plan (RSP): What They Are And The Best Ones To Invest In
Best Brokerage Accounts To Start Your Investment Journey In Singapore

 

A flat white, an adventure-filled travel and a good workout is her fuel. Sue Mae enjoys sharing knowledge on personal finance while chasing the dream of financial independence.

FINANCIAL TIP:

Use a personal loan to consolidate your outstanding debt at a lower interest rate!

Sign up for our newsletter for financial tips, tricks and exclusive information that can be personalised to your preferences!