Singapore

CautionSGP · SG · Asia

Rated Caution overall, but High for company formation. The sector view matters here.

Index positionsPin shows where it sits on each scale

Financial secrecy#3Tax Justice FSI, rank

Risk by sectorOne country, six different businesses

Company formationHigh

financial secrecy supplied at scale, no fully public ownership register

Real estateHigh

common cash purchases and non-resident ownership

Payments and PSPCaution

a mature supervisory regime

Trade and import/exportCaution

standard trade-finance exposure

Charity and NGOClear

charity supervision stronger than the general regime

Crypto and VASPClear

a clear licensing framework for exchanges

ClearCautionHighSevere

2 levels apart. The control that answers the risk is different at each end, which is why one rating cannot serve every business.

Analyst view

Singapore is rated Caution at base, which is the view a payment services provider would take.

The rating is not the same for every business. For company formation it reads High, because of financial secrecy supplied at scale. For charity and NGO work it reads Clear, because of charity supervision stronger than the general regime. One number cannot carry both, which is why the sector view exists.

Verify ownership from a primary source rather than assuming it, and treat any gap in the record as a question to resolve rather than a formality.

Structural detail

Common patterns

cross-border layeringtrust and foundation structuresreal estate purchase

Sanctions position

No country-level sanctions. Screen counterparties against the consolidated lists as standard.

Can you find the owner?

Supplies financial secrecy at scale. Ownership is disclosed to authorities and to obliged entities, but there is no fully public register a counterparty can search.

Sources

Financial Secrecy Index 2026, Ranked 3 worldwide.