Brokerages in Singapore

There are a number of brokerages in Singapore. Off my mind, the brokerages include DBS Vickers, Standard Chartered, POEMS, CIMB, iOCBC and Lim & Tan Securities. Each brokerage has it's own pros and cons. Brokerage accounts from banks normally need you to open a savings/current account with them first. The usual factors to be considered are the commissions, ease of use, availability of mobile trading platform, overseas market access and usefulness of research reports.

Personally, I own three trading accounts under DBS Vickers, Standard Chartered and POEMS. The reasons for my trades will determine which account I'll use. For instance, I will use POEMS when I'm travelling because it's mobile platform is easiest to use. Standard Chartered does not have a mobile version and DBS Vickers requires security token for use (not very convenient). When I want to trade small lots, SCB will be used since it does not require a minimum commission. But because SCB holds custody* of the shares bought instead of depositing it into CDP, I will use DBS Vickers for mid-range commissions and for "owning my own stock"

*By holding custody of the stock, SCB acts as the "stock bank" instead of SGX's CDP. The stock is safe unless SCB collapses, which is unlikely given it's solid position. The difference is that AGM and voting rights need to sought from SCB.


 Below is the excel file I've compiled listing the brokerage services I know of. 

Also, this thread on hardwarezone is extremely useful for deciding on which brokerage account to open.
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/stocks-shares-indices-92/how-open-stock-trading-account-singapore-updated-2012-a-3628498.html
They even tell you what to say to the staff for account opening! Wish I had seen this when I was deciding myself too.

Hope this post has given you some info on which brokerage to use. Peace out~~!