Burnishing Singapore’s success as a financial and gold hub
LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund offers secure vaulting, insured protection and easy digital access for investor confidence.
Located in Singapore, the LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund is the first of its kind here. (Images: Lion Global Investors; images are for illustrative purposes only)
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Within secure storage facility Le Freeport in Singapore, investment-grade gold bars are kept in a locked vault monitored by electronic access controls, CCTV surveillance and armed guards. They constitute the LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund, the first of its kind in Singapore.
Locating the fund in Singapore was a deliberate choice, said Mr Teo Joo Wah, CEO of Lion Global Investors, a member of the OCBC Group. A globally recognised financial hub, Singapore is known for its strong rule of law, domestic stability, geopolitical neutrality and safety from natural disasters.
DEMOCRATISING ACCESS TO PHYSICAL GOLD
In the last 25 years, global equity markets have experienced 10 major crises, from financial crises and interest rate volatility to wars and speculative bubbles. In nine of these crises, gold generated a positive return, cementing its status as a safe-haven asset*.
With economic uncertainties stemming from ongoing transformative shifts across industries and societies, such as rising protectionism and disruptive technologies, investors are increasingly on the hunt for alternative assets in diversified portfolios.
In the last three years, gold demand has risen sharply. Around the world, central banks are expecting an increase in their gold holdings as a proportion of their reserves in the next five years, according to a World Gold Council Survey released last June.
The LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund was created to address demand for the precious metal among Singapore-based investors. “By leveraging multiple avenues from digital banking to insurance platforms, the fund ensures accessibility for a broader investor base, from institutional clients to everyday savers seeking inflation hedges and long-term wealth preservation,” explained Mr Teo.
To give investors peace of mind, additional layers of protection – tangible and intangible – are embedded in the fund.
Le Freeport’s secure location helps keep its valuable physical assets secure from external harms like burglary or destruction. The allocated gold is also fully insured against risk of loss, damage and theft. Each bar of gold, which has a minimum fineness of 99.5 per cent to meet the stringent standards set by global precious metals authority LBMA, is uniquely identifiable and segregated under the fund’s assets.
Fund custodian Standard Chartered Bank is responsible for the gold’s secure storage and the facilitation of the purchase and sale of gold for the fund. It also serves as trustee, fund administrator and transfer agent.
Mr Francois Verlaine, regional head of financing and securities services for ASEAN and South Asia at Standard Chartered, believes that Singapore’s first insured and Singapore-vaulted physical gold fund would play a key role in elevating Singapore’s position as the leading financial centre.
“With the changing global trends in today’s world, we believe that this fund, which is locally managed, with its physical gold being directly custodised in Singapore, provides a fresh alternative investment option for investors in Singapore and the region,” he said.
BUILDING A STRONG ECOSYSTEM FOR GOLD INVESTMENT
The fund’s launch anchors, which comprise a consortium of leading players from Singapore’s financial sector, further establish investor assurance by taking on pivotal roles in development and distribution. These players’ expertise and infrastructure will also help with opening doors towards greater online and real-world investor access.
OCBC is the fund’s key distribution partner. As part of the bank’s curation of quality investment solutions designed to strengthen investment portfolios and preserve wealth, the fund is accessible to customers through OCBC’s wealth advisory and digital banking channels.
“While gold prices have risen meaningfully, in a volatile market, gold continues to be a trusted store of value and portfolio diversifier,” noted Ms Tan Siew Lee, OCBC’s head of group wealth management.
For a new generation of investors, anchor digital bank partner MariBank provides digital accessibility to the fund. Its digital platform enables seamless fund participation at affordable entry costs for retail investors.
CEO of MariBank Singapore Natalia Goh said that joining the LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund consortium was part of the bank’s mission to make financial services simple, reliable and rewarding for all. “Starting from just S$1, customers can now invest in a trusted asset that helps them hedge and build resilience in uncertain times,” she said.
Similarly, the fund’s insurance partners, Great Eastern and Singlife, are breaking new ground in accessibility by including physical gold as an option in their investment-linked policies (ILPs).
Gold can serve as a steady hedge for customers embarking on long-term wealth planning, particularly those who are close to retirement or intent on diversifying their portfolios.
Singlife is offering its advisors and customers access to LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund not just through ILPs, but also on its investment platforms Grow with Singlife and dollarDex. “In addition, we will allocate a portion of our participating fund assets to this fund, leveraging its potential to deliver better risk-adjusted returns for our policyholders,” shared Singlife’s chief investment officer Allen Kuo.
APPRECIATING THE VALUE OF GOLD
Historically, gold has been a valuable hedge against the weaknesses of government-issued currencies^. In today’s volatile economic climate, physical gold addresses the growing demand for alternative assets in diversified portfolios, particularly in volatile markets where gold continues to serve as a trusted store of value.
Said Mr Teo: “By anchoring the fund in Singapore and partnering with trusted institutions, the LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund represents a bold step forward in making physical gold investment more accessible, secure and relevant for today’s investors.”
Invest in LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund via its partners OCBC, Great Eastern, Singlife, Grow with Singlife, MariBank, Bank of Singapore, dollarDex, FSMOne, iFAST Financial, POEMS and CapBridge.
For more information about LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund, visit lionglobalinvestors.com
*Morningstar, MSCI World, LBMA Gold AM Price, Dec 2025
LBMA Gold Price is a trademark of Precious Metals Prices Limited, licensed to Ice Benchmark Administration Limited (IBA) as the administrator of the LBMA Gold Price, and is used by Lion Global Investors Limited with permission under licence from IBA.
Past performance and the predictions, projections or forecasts on the economy, securities markets, bond markets or the economic trends of the markets are not necessarily indicative of the future or likely performance of the fund.
^Investopedia.com
This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. It is for information only and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation. You should read the prospectus available at lionglobalinvestors.com before deciding whether to invest in the fund.
The fund’s net asset value may have higher volatility due to its narrower investment focus (primarily in gold, as defined in the prospectus), when compared to funds with more diversified portfolios. Investments involve risks, including the possible loss of the principal amount invested.
Lion Global Investors Limited (UEN/ Registration No: 198601745D)
