Tiger Brokers Review: Good, but Could be Better! [2024]

Tiger Brokers Review: One of the Cheapest in Singapore!

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Table of Contents

Established in 2014 respectively, Tiger Brokers is one of the most popular and affordable online brokerages for Singapore investors.

This article overviews the main features and services offered by Tiger Brokers.

By the end, you will know exactly what to expect if you are considering investing with this online brokerage.

Markets Offered by Tiger Brokers

Tiger Brokers allows users to trade in 5 different world-class international markets all from the convenience of a single online account. Available markets include:

  • Singapore Exchange (SGX),
  • The Hong Kong Exchange (HKEX)
  • The US stock market (New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq Stock Market, American Stock Exchange, Pink Sheet Exchange)
  • The Chinese stock market (Shanghai Stock Exchange)
  • The Australian Exchange (ASX)

 

Tiger Brokers’ wide range of market offerings makes it an excellent option for investors who are after a more globally diversified investment portfolio.

Tradable Asset Classes Offered by Tiger Brokers

Tiger Brokers offers quite a diverse range of investment products. Specific products vary depending on the market you are buying into. Here is a breakdown of Tiger Brokers’ tradable assets by global market.

US Market

  • Long or short stocks
  • Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
  • Callable bull/bear contracts (CBBCs)
  • Futures
  • Stock Options
  • Over the counter (OTC) securities (not listed on an exchange)

 

Hong Kong Market

  • Long or short stocks
  • Warrants
  • Callable bull/bear contracts (CBBCs)
  • Futures
  • Stock Options

 

Singapore Market

  • Long or short stocks
  • Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
  • Futures
  • Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
  • Daily Leverage Certificates (DLCs)

 

Australia Market

  • Long or short stocks

 

China Market

  • China A-shares

 

In addition, Tiger Brokers also has a Fund Mall that offers investors a variety of mutual funds to purchase from leading custodians, including money funds, bond funds, and equity funds.

Overall, Tiger Brokers has great options for both seasoned investors and new investors alike. The vast range of asset classes allows investors to mitigate risk by spreading investments across different products.

With products like futures, you can invest in several assets, including index futures, metals, forex, equity futures, treasury futures, energy, agriculture, and Bitcoin. REITs allow you to invest in wealth-building real estate assets like retail developments, hotel buildings, office blocks, and more. With mutual funds from Tiger Brokers Fund Mall, you can diversify your investment portfolios instantly.

CBBCs allow you to take on bullish positions (buying stocks you think will increase in value) or bearish positions (buy stocks that have decreased in value at a cheaper price or take short positions) on a specific asset with an often short term fixed expiry date.

DLCs allow for high-risk, high-return short term trades with which you can bet on the daily rises and falls of the trading reference, for example, a securities index.

Options and warrants are rights that you can purchase which allow you to buy/sell stock from a company (warrant) or from an individual holder (option) on a specific date, usually they are offered at a discounted rate compared to buying the stock on the open market.

If you lack the background knowledge and expertise to target more complex asset types, opting for a more beginner-friendly investment asset such as ETFs or stocks is a straightforward and feasible strategy with Tiger Brokers.

Commissions and Fees Charged by Tiger Brokers

Tiger Brokers offer very competitive transaction fees compared to other online brokers. It charges a trading commission fee— charged any time you trade on the platforms i.e., buy or sell a tradable product. It also charges a platform fee— a fee for using its service.

The fees vary depending on the specific market and type of product traded.

Tiger Brokers doesn’t charge withdrawal fees, account maintenance, or inactivity fees.

US market Stocks and ETFs

Tiger Brokers
Commission
  • USD 0.005/Share
  • Minimum USD 0.99/Order
  • Maximum 0.5% * Trade Value /Order
  • Money goes to Tiger Brokers
Platform fee
  • USD 0.005/Share
  • Minimum USD 1.00/Order
  • Maximum 0.5% * Trade Value / Order
  • Money goes to Tiger Brokers
External
  • U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) membership fee, for sells only— 0.0000051 * Trade Value/ Order (Minimum USD 0.01 / Order
  • Settlement fee— USD 0.003 / Share
  • Trading activity fee, this is charged for sell orders only— USD 0.00013 / Share (Minimum USD 0.01 / Order, maximum USD 6.49 / Order, charged to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority)

As shown in the table above, the most you can pay for commission fees and platform fees is 0.5% of your trade value, but you must pay a minimum commission.

For example, if you trade USD100, you will only have to pay USD 0.50 in commission fees, plus an additional USD 0.49 to reach the minimum (USD 0.99). Platform fees will be an additional USD 0.50 plus USD 0.50 to reach the minimum (USD 1.00).

If you traded USD1,000 you would pay USD 5.00 tops for commission fees and USD 5.00 tops for platform fees— USD 10.00 in total.

Hong Kong and Chinese Market Stock and A-Share Fees

Tiger Brokers
Commission
  • 0.03% * Trade Value/Order
  • Minimum HKD/CHN 7.00/ Order
  • Money goes to Tiger Brokers
Platform fee:
  • 0.03% * Trade Value/Order
  • Minimum HKD/CHN 8.00/ Order (HKD 15.00/Order for stock options)
  • Money goes to Tiger Brokers
External:  Hong Kong

  • Transaction Levy— 0.0027% * Trade Value
  • Settlement Fee— 0.002% * Trade Value (Minimum HKD 2.00 and maximum HKD 100 / Order)
  • Trading fee— 0.005% * Trade Value + HKD 0.50 (Charged by HKEX)
  • Stamp Duty— 0.13% * Trade Value
  • Financial reporting council transaction levy— 0.00015%*Trade Value

China

  • Handling fee— 0.00487% * Trade Value
  • Securities management fee— 0.0002% * Trade Value
  • Settlement fee— 0.004% * Trade Value
  • Stamp Duty— 0.1% * Trade Value

As shown in the table above, the most you can pay for commission fees and platform fees is 0.03% of your trade value, but you must pay a minimum commission and platform fee of HKD/CHN 7.00 and HKD/CHN 8.00 respectively.

For example, if you trade HKD100, you will only have to pay HKD 0.03 in commission fees, plus an additional HKD 6.97 to reach the minimum commission requirement.

You would also have to pay HKD 0.03 for the platform fee, plus HKD 7.97 to reach the minimum platform fee requirement.

If you traded HKD 1,000 you would pay HKD 0.30 for commission fees plus an additional HKD 6.70 to reach the minimum and HKD 0.30 for platform fees plus an additional HKD 7.70 to reach the minimum required platform fee.

Take note that there are no maximum fees, so if you’re trading in large amounts, be careful of the fees you’ll incur.

Singapore Market Stocks, ETFs, DLCs and REITs Fees

Tiger Brokers
Commission
  • 0.03% * Trade Value/Order
  • Minimum SGD 0.99/ Order
  • Money goes to Tiger Brokers
Platform fee:
  • 0.03% * Trade Value/Order
  • Minimum SGD 1.00/ Order
  • Money goes to Tiger Brokers
External: 
  • Trading fee— 0.0075% * Trade Value (Charged by SGX)
  • Clearing fee— 0.0325% * Trade Value (Charged by SGX)

As shown in the table above, the most you can pay for commission fees is 0.03% of your trade value, but you must pay a minimum commission and platform fee per trade, SGD 0.99 and SGD 1.00 respectively.

For example, if you trade SGD 100, you will only have to pay SGD 0.03 in commission fees, plus an additional SGD 0.96 to reach the minimum commission requirement.

In addition, you will need to pay a platform fee of SGD 0.03, and an extra SGD 0.97 to reach the minimum required platform fee.

If you traded SGD 1,000 you would pay SGD 0.30 for commission fees and an extra SGD 0.69 to reach the minimum, and SGD 0.30 for platform fees plus an extra SGD 0.70 to meet the minimum.

There is no maximum commission or platform fee cap, so the fees can get a little pricey when investing large sums of money.

Australian Market Stocks

Tiger Brokers
Commission
  • 0.03% * Trade Value/Order
  • Minimum AUD 2.00/ Order
  • Money goes to Tiger Brokers
Platform fee:
  • 0.07% * Trade Value/Order
  • Minimum AUD 6.00/ Order
  • Money goes to Tiger Brokers

Tiger Brokers’ fees for its Australian assets are significantly more expensive than its fees for its US, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China market assets.

At a minimum, you will incur AUD 8.00 per trade. The platform fee of 0.07% per order is particularly steep.

That being said, the minimum platform fee of AUD 6.00 surpasses 0.07% on investments less than AUD8500, creating a bit of an incentive to invest large sums of money per trade if you do choose to purchase Australian stocks.

Promotions and Extras Offered by Tiger Brokers

At any given point, Tiger Brokers offers several promotions such as commission-free trades and sign-up bonuses.

Tiger Brokers offers an attractive welcome bundle for first-time users, including perks like zero commissions on US stocks for 180 days, an SGD 5 cash voucher, and access to Reuters and NYSE Arcabook real-time market research and data.

If you deposit SGD 2,000 within the first few days of opening your account with Tiger Brokers, you are eligible to win a free premium share like Tesla.

Tiger Brokers also has a great referral program with some amazing perks. You can unlock lifetime zero commission trading if you refer a friend and your friend deposits at least SGD100 into their new account. Refer two friends and you are eligible for free premium shares like GoPro, Tesla, UOB, and more.

Additionally, Tiger Brokers enrols investors in its Tiger Coin rewards program. Tiger Coins can be used to redeem rewards like free stock vouchers, commission-free trades and more, which can be used to offset commissions.

That being said, the promotions offered by Tiger Brokers are always subject to change. It is therefore highly advised to check their official website for the most up to date information before you sign-up to see what promotions are running at the time.

Sign-Up, Funding, and Withdrawal Options at Tiger Brokers

Sign-Up

Sign-up is fast and easy with Tiger Brokers, just visit the Tiger Trade App or the official Tiger Brokers website and select ‘open account’.

Tiger Brokers does not require a minimum deposit amount to get started or a minimum balance that needs to be maintained to remain active on the platform.

However, the platform will require you to deposit into your account before you can begin making trading transactions and if you deposit a certain amount within the sign-up bonus timeframe, you may be eligible for some initial deposit promotions.

When signing up, you will need to provide a few basic documents like ID, proof of residence, tax residency and tax ID, the name and address of your employer, and a little bit of information on your investment objectives and experience.

If you are a SingPass account holder, you can expedite the sign-up process. If you are a work pass or an NRIC holder, Tiger Brokers does not require you to upload a copy of your ID.

Tiger Brokers offers step by step instructions for signing up and uploading documents to make the process super easy for new users.

Deposit

Funds can be deposited to your Tiger Brokers account in the following currencies— Singapore dollar, Hong Kong dollar, US dollar, Euro, and Australian dollars, the platform also allows for currency exchange after depositing funds.

Tiger Brokers offers funds deposit with Fast and Secure Transfers (FAST), an electronic funds transfer service that allows users to transfer SGD from one Singaporean bank to another, and funds arrive in your Tiger Brokers account in as little as 15 minutes.

In addition, it offers the option of setting up direct deposit payments if you have an account with Singaporean financial corporations, DBS Bank Limited or POSB Bank.

With this option, funds usually arrive in the broker account within minutes. If you are using this method to deposit SGD, the entire process can be completed on Tiger App. If you are depositing in another currency (HKD, USD, EUR, AUD) then you will need to complete an E-bank transfer externally.

Wire transfer from a personal bank account is also possible with Tiger Brokers and a great option for transferring funds from banks outside Singapore. It may take up to 1-3 days for the funds to arrive in the broker account.

If you are based in another country and do not have a Singapore bank account, you can also link your Tiger Brokers account to the money transfer app Wise to make a deposit. The entire process can be completed on Tiger App.

Snapshot

  • FAST
  • DBS and POSB Bank Direct Deposit
  • E-Bank Transfer
  • Wise
  • Wire Transfer

 

Withdrawal

Withdrawing funds from Tiger Brokers is also hassle-free. Users log into the official Tiger Brokers website and select from the My Account drop-down menu. It will take a few days for funds to show up in your bank after withdrawing.

If you are interested in transferring your stocks from Tiger Brokers to other brokers, this is supported by Tiger Brokers. But there is a hefty fee, the transfer out fee for U.S stocks for example, is USD 150 per stock.

Safety With Tiger Brokers

Reputation

Tiger Brokers has been around for almost 6-years. It is a well-established, highly respected online broker with offices in Singapore, the USA, China, and Australia.

With over 1.7 million account holders, and USD 219.1 billion in annual trade value, Tiger Brokers is one of the leading online brokerages in Singapore, and Southeast Asia in general.

Security

Tiger Brokers offers a high level of security for your assets. Tiger Brokers is registered with several US financial security corporations including the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Depository Trust Company (DTC), the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).

Tiger Brokers is also licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission.

Tiger Brokers segregates their client’s assets from their own capital by housing client capital in custodian accounts. This means Tiger Brokers operating funds are not tied to client holdings, and so your funds will be protected in the unlikely case that Tiger Brokers is to shut down.

Tiger Brokers places strict regulatory reviews on all its counterparties to ensure they comply with anti-risk regulatory requirements. Currently, DBS Bank is the custodian for Tiger Brokers.

Tiger Brokers sends users notifications after every account transaction. Additionally, users can sign-up for 2-step authentication.

This requires users to input a temporary password that was emailed or texted to them, in addition to their regular password for maximum security.

Tiger Brokers’ Platform Usability

Tiger Brokers uses next-level technology to offer user-friendly and customisable app interfaces with several sophisticated features like one-click trading, stock options trading, and in-depth analytics to help users make informed trading decisions.

Tiger Brokers trading app, Tiger Trade App, includes a watchlist, prime account page, and a stock information page. It also provides news, discovery, and a free real-time New York Stock Exchange market data page.

Tiger Brokers offers their app on desktop and Android or IOS.

Tiger Brokers’ Customer Support

Tiger Brokers offers customer service on Telegram, email, Facebook, and live chat on the app and phone.

Customer support call service is available weekdays from 8.30 am to 5 pm AEST, while the online chat service is available until 5 am. This is especially important if you value human customer service interactions when you make customer request queries.

While Tiger Brokers has a diverse range of customer service options, it has received mixed reviews about the timeliness and effectiveness of customer support.

To Sum it Up — Tiger Brokers

Tiger Brokers is a fine online brokerage and an excellent— not to mention affordable— option to get your foot into the top global trading markets. A few of Tiger Brokers’ many benefits include:

  • Competitively low fees
  • Easy sign-up
  • Easy and several deposit options
  • Five global markets to choose from
  • Basic beginner-friendly assets like ETFs and mutual funds
  • Complex trading assets for seasoned investors
  • Top-level security and excellent reputation
  • Multi-currency transactions
  • Frequent promotions
  • User-friendly and full-service trading app

 

However, they are not the cheapest option in the market, especially when it comes to trading internationally.

Personally, we prefer to use moomoo as they offer the lowest fees for the same markets Tiger Brokers are in, and we’ve compared both brokerages here.

However, what really differentiates moomoo and Tiger Brokers is that moomoo offers $0 commission and platform fees for US markets, which makes it really attractive and one of the best investment platforms in Singapore!

Check out the latest promotions moomoo has here.

Jaslyn Ng
Jaslyn Ng
Jaslyn began her finance journey as a ghostwriter for global websites, fostering a unique perspective on the subject. Now at Dollar Bureau's helm, she approaches finance through the everyday Singaporean lens. Her leadership ensures content is both relatable and easy to understand, making complex topics accessible to all.

Disclaimer: Each article written obtained its information from reliable sources and should be purely used for informational purposes only. The information provided by Dollar Bureau and its affiliated parties is not meant to be construed as financial advice. Dollar Bureau shall not be held liable for any inaccuracies, mistakes, omissions, and losses incurred should you act upon any information listed on this website. We recommend readers to seek financial planning advice from qualified financial advisors. 

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