Our verdict on CGS International
CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd. suits a Singapore trader who wants DMA CFDs on global equities and on equity index and commodity futures, which is what the firm's CFD page advertises, alongside a minimum initial deposit of S$2,000 for a CFD account and up to 10 times leverage on margin, as the firm states it. The firm also offers spot FX on margin, its FX page stating a Classic account at S$5,000 initial deposit and an Accredited Investor account at S$10,000. What would give me pause is the firm's own CFD risk sheet, which tells you to be prepared to lose more than or all of your initial investment placed as margin with the firm.
The rating on this page is a desk-based assessment of the firm's published Singapore information and the MAS Financial Institutions Directory: five of the eight categories carry a rating, and Trading Costs, Trading Experience and Funding are blank. Less than half of each of those three could be read from that published information. Nothing on this page was measured by us. Read the firm's CFD risk sheet before you deposit.
Pros
- CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd. is a Capital Markets Services Licensee and Exempt Financial Adviser on the MAS Financial Institutions Directory, read 24 September 2026.
- The firm's CFD page lists DMA CFDs on more than 21,000 counters across 30 major global exchanges, as the firm advertises.
- The firm states that customer funds are held on trust for customers in accounts segregated from its own monies.
- The firm advertises DMA CFDs on equity index and commodity futures alongside its equity CFDs.
Cons
- The firm's CFD risk sheet tells you to be prepared to lose more than or all of your initial margin with the firm.
- A minimum initial deposit of S$2,000 is required to open a CFD account, as the firm states.
Desk-based assessment: scored from published information, not tested
CGS International score breakdown
1.5/5 · Low
Scored on 5 of 8 categories: Trading Costs, Trading Experience and Funding are not scored.
The desk score is the published category weights renormalised over the 5 of 8 categories scored; Trading Costs, Trading Experience and Funding are blank.
How is our rating calculated?- Blank: Trading Costs: Standard Published Spreads, Standard Tested Spreads, RAW/ECN Published Spread, RAW/ECN Tested Spread, Published Commission Rates, Inactivity Fees, Deposit / Withdrawal Fees, the whole category
- Blank: Trading Experience: Limit Order Speed, Market Order Speed, Ease of Opening, Ease of Withdrawal, Professional Leverage, Standard Account, Raw Account, the whole category
- Blank: Trust: TrustPilot Score
- Blank: Trading Platform: Demo Account Expiry
- Blank: Customer Service: Live Chat, CS Knowledge, Website Experience
- Blank: Range of Markets: Forex
- Blank: Funding: Base Currencies, Visa / Mastercard, Wire Transfer, Paypal, Neteller, Skrill, Rapid Pay EUR/GBP, bPay AU / POLi NZ, Amex, Klarna, Union Pay, the whole category
Is CGS International safe? MAS licence, CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Yes. CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd. is a Capital Markets Services Licensee and an Exempt Financial Adviser, as the MAS Financial Institutions Directory, read on 24 September 2026, lists.
| Fact | What the record says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Legal name on FID | CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd. | MAS Financial Institutions Directory, read 24 September 2026 |
| Licence types on FID | Capital Markets Services Licensee, Exempt Financial Adviser | MAS Financial Institutions Directory, read 24 September 2026 |
| Products FID lists under Dealing In Capital Markets Products | Securities; Collective Investment Schemes; Exchange-Traded Derivatives Contracts; Over-The-Counter Derivatives Contracts; Spot Foreign Exchange Contracts for the Purposes of Leveraged Foreign Exchange Trading | MAS Financial Institutions Directory, read 24 September 2026 |
| FID record last updated | 16 September 2026 | MAS Financial Institutions Directory, read 24 September 2026 |
| MAS enforcement actions and media releases naming the entity as subject | None found, searched 24 September 2026 | MAS enforcement actions and media releases, searched 24 September 2026 |
| Entity printed on the Singapore site | CGS International Securities Singapore Pte Ltd | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
FID lists spot FX for leveraged FX trading among its dealing products.
What FID lists for the entity
The directory lists the legal name CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd. and a record last updated on 16 September 2026.
MAS actions and the Investor Alert List
No MAS enforcement action or media release names CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd. in any role, and no Investor Alert List entry bears any name searched.
MAS enforcement and alerts
A search of MAS enforcement actions, media releases and the Investor Alert List on 24 September 2026 under 6 search terms (CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd., CGS International, CGSI, CGS-CIMB, CGS-CIMB Securities (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., CIMB Securities (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.) returned no MAS enforcement action against this company.
Source: the Monetary Authority of Singapore, mas.gov.sg, searched 24 September 2026.
CGS International client money
A Singapore retail client contracts with CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd., the entity the MAS Financial Institutions Directory lists.
Client money, as the firm states it: held on trust, segregated (Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026)
Negative balance, as the firm states it: losses can exceed margin (Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026)
Where a Singapore client’s money is held
The firm states that funds deposited by customers are held on trust by CGSI for its customers, in accounts segregated from CGSI’s own monies.
Who a Singapore client contracts with
The firm’s own Singapore site prints the entity as CGS International Securities Singapore Pte Ltd.
Negative balances
The firm’s CFD risk sheet states that you should be prepared to lose more than or all of your initial investment amount that you have placed as margin with the firm. The same sheet says it highlights the common risks of trading in CFDs.
CGS International at a glance: 3 key facts
| Fact | What the record says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit, as the firm states it | SGD 2,000, CFD account | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Minimum deposit, as the firm states it | SGD 5,000, FX Classic account ("SGD or equivalent"); Accredited Investor 10,000 | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Base currencies | SGD, USD | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
What it costs to trade with CGS International
Classic and Accredited Investor: spread, no pair named, advertised: 0.7 pips, minimum ("Spread From") (Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026)
fx: commission: 0 (Classic and Accredited Investor accounts) (Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026)
CGS International deposits and withdrawals
| Fact | What the record says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Payment to the firm, as its general terms name it | cheque, cashier's order, bank draft, GIRO | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Electronic payment through a participating bank, as its general terms name it | telegraphic transfer, direct debit | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Withdrawals from the CFD account, as its general terms state them | CGS SG may allow a withdrawal from the CFD account (clause 76.7) | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Balance kept after a CFD account withdrawal, as its general terms state it | the CFD account balance may not fall below SGD2,000, or another minimum the firm sets, after a withdrawal | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
CGS International account types and minimum deposit
The account types on the firm’s CFD page are the iTrade Account, the CFD Retail Account, and the UP Account. I would pick the account that matches how you intend to trade before you deposit.
| Fact | What the record says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Account types on the Singapore site | iTrade Account, CFD Retail Account, UP Account | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Account types on the Singapore site | Classic (FX), Accredited Investor (FX) | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Accredited investor terms, as the firm states them | opt-in and opt-out forms published | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Customer Knowledge Assessment, as the firm states it | CKA required for CFDs; those who do not qualify may not trade | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
The Customer Knowledge Assessment is a step the firm’s guide describes: all interested retail customers are mandated by MAS to go through the CKA for CFDs, as the firm’s guide states, and those who do not qualify may not trade.
Minimum deposit
The firm states that clients are required to place a minimum initial fund deposit of S$2,000 to open a CFD account.
Accredited investors
The firm publishes opt-in and opt-out forms for accredited investors, including a declaration of accredited investor opt-in form for individuals. Which terms apply is set out on the firm’s own forms.
CGS International trading platforms
The firm’s CFD page names CFD Mobile and CFD ViewPoint, and what I look for here is what each is described as doing.
CFD Mobile
The firm describes CFD Mobile as its app, offering an intuitive end-to-end investor digital journey.
CFD ViewPoint
The firm describes CFD ViewPoint as giving access to advanced market tools. If tools matter to your trading, that is what I would weigh.
CGS International execution speed and slippage
Our global execution panel holds no fill time for this Singapore entity, and I would not quote you a speed for it. If execution speed matters to your trading, my advice is to ask the firm directly before you deposit.
CGS International markets
The firm’s CFD page lists DMA CFDs on equities and on equity index and commodity futures, plus the two CFD platforms. The firm’s own FX page also offers spot FX on margin to a Singapore trader, with its Classic account open to a retail client.
| Fact | What the record says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Product: spot FX on margin | Offered | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Product: other CFDs | DMA equity CFDs | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Product: other CFDs | index and commodity futures CFDs | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Platforms on the Singapore site | CFD Mobile | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Platforms on the Singapore site | CFD ViewPoint | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
CGS International leverage and margin for Singapore clients
The firm states up to 10 times leverage on its DMA equity CFDs and on its equity index and commodity futures CFDs; that is its CFD statement, not an FX figure and not a rule. For leveraged foreign exchange trading, Table 18 of the Fourth Schedule to the Securities and Futures (Financial and Margin Requirements for Holders of Capital Markets Services Licences) Regulations (Rg 13) sets minimum margin at 5% for a retail customer (20:1, our arithmetic) and 2% for an accredited, expert or institutional investor (50:1, our arithmetic), and that binds every MAS licensee alike.
| Fact | What the record says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Margin or leverage, as the firm states it | leverage up to 10x; CFDs on margin | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Margin or leverage, as the firm states it | FX margin retail 5%, accredited 2% | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
| Risk document the firm publishes | CFD risk fact sheet (Form 13) | Firm's Singapore site, read 24 September 2026 |
How CGS International compares with Maybank Securities and uSMART
Against Maybank Securities Pte. Ltd., the comparison turns on what each firm states on its own Singapore site. Maybank Securities’ forex product page prints EUR/USD at 1.0 pips in its spread table, basis not stated, and its pricing overview page prints 1.3 pips under normal market conditions, two pages and two figures. Maybank Securities states there is no minimum sum requirement to open a live account, and it advertises Currenex for Maybank Forex, with spot FX on margin and share CFDs. In my view, those two figures on one pair are exactly what I would ask the firm about first.
Against uSMART Securities (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., uSMART advertises EUR/USD at 0.5 pips in the Min. Spread column of its FX CFD page, and states it does not charge commission on FX CFDs trading. Its platforms are the uSMART app and Open API, and its products are FX CFDs and stock CFDs. I would set each firm’s stated figures beside the deposit and leverage terms this firm states in its own sections here, and check the pages yourself before you decide.
Should you open an account with CGS International?
Yes, if you want DMA CFDs on equities or on equity index and commodity futures, or spot FX on margin, CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd. offers both on its own Singapore site.
Before you deposit, read the firm’s CFD risk sheet, confirm the entity’s licence details on the MAS Financial Institutions Directory, and check the firm’s own Singapore site for the account terms that apply to you.
FAQs
Is CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd. licensed by MAS?
What does the firm say about how client money is held?
What does the firm's CFD risk sheet say about losses?
What minimum deposit does the firm state for a CFD account?
Record log
| Record | Detail |
|---|---|
| MAS Financial Institutions Directory read | 24 September 2026 |
| MAS enforcement actions, media releases and Investor Alert List searched | 24 September 2026 |