Singapore jurisdiction
Overview
Singapore's status as a crypto hub rests on a specific statutory design rather than a permissive attitude. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is both the central bank and the integrated financial regulator, established on 1 January 1971 and administering the statutes covering money, banking, insurance and securities. Digital asset activity is licensed under the Payment Services Act 2019, which was enacted on 14 January 2019, assented to on 11 February 2019 and commenced on 28 January 2020. The Act brings seven payment activities into a single licensing regime — account issuance, domestic money transfer, cross-border money transfer, merchant acquisition, e-money issuance, digital payment token services and money-changing — with the explicit aim of providing regulatory certainty and consumer safeguards while encouraging fintech innovation. A notable gap is that the PS Act does not currently license custodial services on its own, an area MAS has explored expanding. MAS reported roughly US$416 billion of assets under management as of May 2026, and is chaired by Gan Kim Yong with Chia Der Jiun as managing director. MAS was established in 1971 and absorbed currency issuance in 2002. The Payment Services Act was enacted in January 2019 and commenced on 28 January 2020, consolidating payments and digital payment token regulation into one licensing framework; MAS has since published a consultation paper on possible amendments. Singapore also pursued payments modernisation abroad, launching PayNow-PromptPay interoperability with Thailand in May 2021 and signing on to Project Nexus in June 2024.
Within the DeFi Intel graph, Singapore connects to 64 tracked entities, most strongly to MAS, MAS Single-Currency Stablecoin framework, Mas Psa Revision (2024).
Relations
Top connections in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph (confidence-weighted, 10 of 64 total).
| Relation | Connected entity | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
governs | MAS | 99% |
governs | MAS Single-Currency Stablecoin framework | 95% |
applies_in | Mas Psa Revision (2024) | 95% |
headquartered_in | MAS | 85% |
headquartered_in | Crypto.com | 85% |
headquartered_in | Partior | 85% |
headquartered_in | OpenEden | 85% |
regulated_by | Terraform Labs | 85% |
headquartered_in | StraitsX | 85% |
headquartered_in | Nansen | 85% |
Frequently asked questions
What is Singapore?
Singapore is a jurisdiction tracked in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph. It is connected to 64 other tracked entities, most strongly to MAS, MAS Single-Currency Stablecoin framework, Mas Psa Revision (2024).
What type of entity is Singapore?
Singapore is classified as a jurisdiction (jurisdiction) in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph.
What is Singapore connected to?
In the DeFi Intel knowledge graph, Singapore is linked to 64 other tracked entities, most strongly to MAS, MAS Single-Currency Stablecoin framework, Mas Psa Revision (2024).
Live news feed, full graph, and search.