As the CFD market in Singapore kicks back into growth, providers need to ensure that their customer service management meets the expectations of new and existing clients alike.

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Brokers Focus on Winning Back Inactive Traders

Brokers cannot afford to get it wrong with previously inactive traders returning to the market. First impressions last and Lorenzo Vignati, associate research director at Investment Trends refers to a shift from expansion to engagement in the Singapore market, where brokers must now focus on winning back traders who stopped participating.

Relationship management isn’t about sales; it’s about responsiveness, transparency and consistency, offering clients access to in-depth research, actionable insights and educational material to support the trading journey, says Phil Waters, managing director for Asia Pacific and emerging markets for OANDA.

“That also means very clear communication around risk and pricing,” he adds. “When clients return to the market after being inactive, the experience they have in those first few weeks really determines whether they stay engaged.”

Lim Jian Yi, head of dealing, contract for difference at Phillip Securities agrees that customer relationship management is highly important to CFD traders and notes that brokers can enhance client satisfaction through proactive engagement - particularly during periods of heightened market volatility - as well as by providing personalised service.

“CFD traders in Singapore place a high premium on trust, reliability and service quality,” says Andreas Wigström, managing director of LMAX Global. “Satisfaction is driven by consistent execution, platform stability and proactive communication."

"Poor experiences or weak support - rather than price alone - are often the deciding factors when traders choose to switch providers.”

Human Support Still Matters in a Digital Trading Environment

In an environment shaped by constantly evolving regulations and risk considerations, traders in Singapore value human accessibility in a digital platform age, suggests Ademola Olopade, group head of prime brokerage and investment Solutions and CEO of Mauritius, CGS International Securities.

“Margin communication, corporate actions and execution transparency significantly influence long-term client retention,” he says.

“The three most important factors in customer relationship management are execution reliability of the broker, clear and consistent risk frameworks and proactive communication during volatile markets.”

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Yaki Razmovich, managing director, eToro Singapore and Asia, says his firm’s strategy includes providing both human and AI-driven support through different channels (including help centre and live chat) and an AI agent that helps customers explore the market, analyse their portfolios, learn about investing and navigate the platform as well as a loyalty programme.

“A quality service is an important factor in determining whether traders stay active,” agrees Robson Lee, assistant honorary secretary of the Securities Investors Association (Singapore).

“Brokers can ensure customer satisfaction and boost retention rates by focusing on a combination of reliable technology, competitive pricing, high-touch support and educational resources.”

Demand Grows for Unified Multi-Asset Trading Platforms

The issue of platform stability arose in Investment Trends' 2025 Singapore Leverage Trading Report, which found that more than half of CFD traders in Singapore want to manage all leveraged products through a single platform.

Waters observes that managing FX, indices, commodities and share CFDs across multiple accounts adds friction and that a unified, multi-asset environment makes funding simpler, reporting cleaner and risk management more transparent.

“That has been a big shift in recent years,” he says. “Traders want institutional-style functionality but delivered through a single, intuitive platform experience.”

There is a clear and growing preference for managing all leveraged products through a single, multi-asset platform. Traders value the efficiency this brings in terms of simpler funding, lower overall costs and a consolidated view of risk across positions.

That is the view of Wigström, who says this shift is accelerating consolidation in the market as platforms compete to offer broader, more integrated solutions.

Olopade refers to CFD traders in Singapore increasingly seeking streamlined collateral management and real-time exposure tracking, noting that managing US equities, commodities and other CFD products within a unified margin framework improves capital efficiency and holistic portfolio visibility and describing integrated multi-asset capability as a strong competitive differentiator.

Multi-asset trading is now a defining segment of Singapore’s investor landscape, agrees Razmovich. “Many traders prefer to use a single platform as it also means they just need to fund one account and grouping uninvested funds can generate more interest.”

What Singapore CFD Traders Look for in a Broker

In terms of the factors CFD traders take into account when choosing a trading platform, Waters reckons that trust is still the foundation and that being regulated in Singapore matters.

“After that, it comes down to execution quality, pricing transparency and platform capability,” he says. “Traders want competitive spreads, reliable fills and tools that allow them to manage risk properly, including features like guaranteed stop-loss orders.

Platform flexibility is also important since some prefer TradingView’s interface, while others trade algorithmically on MT4 or MT5.”

Waters adds that traders in Singapore are highly rational in how they choose a broker, looking at longevity, stability and whether the broker has been through multiple market cycles.

The range of asset classes and functionalities such as charting tools and AI-powered insights are important considerations, suggests Razmovich, while new or less experienced retail investors can benefit from platforms that provide educational resources and allow them to learn and engage with a community as they develop their portfolio.

“Costs also matter, as spreads, commissions and other fees can impact returns over time,” he says.

“Finally, security and compliance are vital. Choosing a trusted platform that understands the nuances and regulatory standards of your country should be a high priority.”

Singaporean traders typically balance cost against reliability and institutional-grade infrastructure according to Olopade, while Wigström says trust and regulatory credibility are the starting point, followed closely by execution quality, transparency and total cost of trading.

For inexperienced traders, the focus would be on the ease of use of the trading platform and availability of educational resources, agrees Lee.

“Traders are likely to be more sensitive to the credibility and legality of trading platforms, particularly when the Monetary Authority of Singapore has been cracking down on unregulated platforms that offer high leverage, trading bonuses or zero transparency to protect retail investors,” he concludes.