248 views

Singapore's virtual bank account ownership to soar 30% by 2026

The figure is equivalent to 1,510,495 adults in Singapore.

The number of adults in Singapore with virtual bank accounts will rise to more than 1.5 million (30%) within a five-year period, a report showed.

Independent comparison platform, Finder.com, in its report, said only 18% or 900,478 adults have virtual bank accounts at present.

This number is expected to rise to 1,230,569 by 2022 and 1,510,495 by 2026.

Singapore’s projected growth rate in digital-only banking adoption — 12 percentage points —- is slightly above the global average of 11.

Finder’s global fintech editor, Elizabeth Barry, cited the local government efforts in facilitating “broader digital banking services.”

“Last year the government granted four digital banking licenses and more recently the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced plans to integrate a fast money transfer service with the Reserve Bank of India,” Barry said.

“We’re seeing this trend spill over into other areas of the financial services industry, with the MAS announcing 15 finalists for the global competition to develop a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC),” she added.

These efforts, according to Barry, played a “large part” in the growth of virtual banking in Singapore.

Currently, Singapore ranks 13th among 30 countries worldwide in terms of virtual baking adoption rate.

Follow the link for more news on

Join Singapore Business Review community
A NOTE FROM SINGAPORE BUSINESS REVIEW

The people you want to reach are already in this room.

Every quarter, SBR lands on the desks of the founders, CFOs, and directors running Asia's most consequential companies. Every day, they open our newsletter and read our website. It's a room that took twenty years to build — and it's the one most of our partners are trying to get into.

The good news is that the door is open. We work with companies on thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. The shape of the right partnership depends on what you're trying to do, which is why we'd rather start with a conversation than send a rate card.


If you have something this room should know about, tell us. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.

No rate cards until we understand the brief. It's a better use of everyone's time.