Datasets
Banking and Fintech Licence Anchors
Dated MAS banking-directory institution counts, local-bank group framing, and licence-category distinctions — separating institution, licence, and banking-group denominators.
Banking and Fintech Licence Anchors
Use each row with its stated denominator. Institution counts, licence counts, and domestic banking-group counts answer different questions. Narrative lives in banking and financial hub; payment-rail detail lives in banking and paynow.
Population bases
| Term | Meaning in this dataset | Do not confuse with |
|---|---|---|
| Institution (MAS directory) | A legal entity listed in the MAS Financial Institutions Directory banking sector | A single banking licence or a banking group |
| Local bank (MAS category) | Locally incorporated banks including specialist subsidiaries such as Bank of Singapore | The three core domestic banking groups alone |
| Banking group | DBS, OCBC, or UOB as consolidated groups | Every MAS-listed local-bank entity |
| Digital bank | Bank operating under a banking licence | Payment-services licensee or representative office |
Source: MAS Financial Institutions Directory — Banking; MAS Local banks, accessed 9 August 2026.
MAS banking directory — August 2026
| Metric | Value | Population / denominator | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banking-sector institutions (directory) | 195 | MAS FID banking sector; institutions may hold more than one licence | Aug 2026 |
| Core domestic banking groups | 3 (DBS, OCBC, UOB) | Consolidated local groups | Accessed 8 Aug 2026 |
| Local-bank category caveat | Bank of Singapore listed separately | MAS "Local Bank" count ≠ three groups only | Accessed 8 Aug 2026 |
Source: MAS Financial Institutions Directory — Banking, accessed 9 August 2026. The directory explicitly warns that an institution may hold more than one licence — do not equate 195 with 195 distinct banking groups.
Licence categories (what each may do)
| Licence type | Permitted scope (summary) | Retail SGD banking note |
|---|---|---|
| Full bank | Broadest permitted banking business | Foreign full banks may face retail-network restrictions |
| Qualifying Full Bank (QFB) | Expanded privileges for selected foreign full banks | More retail access than standard foreign full bank |
| Wholesale bank | Wholesale banking focus | Generally not full Singapore-dollar retail banking on same basis |
| Merchant bank | Corporate finance, underwriting, investment activity | Not a retail deposit-taking high-street bank |
| Representative office | Marketing/liaison only | Cannot conduct licensed banking business |
Source: MAS Financial Institutions Directory — Banking, accessed 9 August 2026. A "digital bank" is still a banking licence; payment apps may instead hold payment-services licences with different deposit protection and prudential rules.
Fintech policy framing
| Anchor | Value | Notes | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| FS Industry Transformation Map 2025 priorities | Fintech, digital assets, sustainability, stronger asset-class capabilities | Sector-development framing, not a licence count | Accessed 8 Aug 2026 |
Source: EDB/PwC/SFA FinTech innovation report, accessed 9 August 2026.
Record details
- Also known as
- ["MAS bank count","local banks Singapore","bank licence types","fintech regulation"]
- Jurisdiction
- SG
- What each row represents
- one dated MAS institution count, licence-category rule, or local-bank group framing with denominator
- Update cadence
- after MAS FID banking-directory refresh or major licence-policy changes
- Source format
- markdown
Dates describe this record’s own period and applicability. A verification date does not mean a rule is currently in force.
Sources
- MAS — Financial Institutions Directory: Banking Accessed 2026-08-08
- MAS — Financial Institutions Directory: Local banks Accessed 2026-08-08
- EDB, PwC, and Singapore FinTech Association — FinTech innovation in Singapore Accessed 2026-08-08
Collection as of 2026-10-07 · An expanding collection. Published counts show available knowledge, not complete coverage of Singapore.