• Mainstream investing: Investing is increasingly mainstream and many young adults are starting to invest as soon as they enter adulthood. Many are also very active, frequently investing and checking their portfolios.
• Remaining obstacles: However, obstacles remain – about half are still not investing, with a lack of confidence and not knowing where to start listed among major reasons.
• New card launch: Trust is making the first step into easy investing for everyone, with the launch of Freedom, Singapore's first stockback credit card which offers an introductory 3% stockback on both local and foreign spend.

Investing is no longer something Singapore residents wait until their 30s or 40s to do. A new study conducted by Trust called The Everyday Investor Report has found that investing is increasingly becoming a part of everyday financial life for young adults, with many starting as soon as they enter adulthood.

The study, conducted among 1,050 Singapore residents aged 18 to 40, found that 51% are actively investing today, challenging the perception that investing remains the domain of older, wealthier or more financially sophisticated individuals. Far from being occasional investors, many are staying consistently engaged. About 65% of active investors made an investment transaction in the past month, while 88% check their investment portfolios at least once a month, with 72% checking weekly.

The online survey was conducted with an external panel between May and June 2026. Survey questions were developed by Trust with research agency Grapevine Consulting engaged to collate responses from respondents. The study explored how Singapore residents make investment decisions and examined differences between two age groups: younger adults aged 18 to 24 and those aged 25 to 40.

Investing starts earlier than ever

The findings suggest that investing is becoming embedded earlier in adulthood than in previous generations.

Young investors are starting earlier than ever, with 74% of active investors aged 18 to 24 making their first investment by the age of 20, and close to 90% of 25 to 40 year-olds starting their investment journey by age 30.

The study also found that active investors are building disciplined habits early, with 65% investing on a regular schedule using dollar-cost averaging.

Holding a diversified investment basket with access to global markets is also proving to be the norm, rather than the exception. Ownership of Singapore stocks, global exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and US or overseas stocks was high across both age groups. Among active investors, 56% own Singapore stocks, 45% own global ETFs while 37% own US or overseas stocks. They also invest in unit trusts, bonds and cryptocurrencies.

These findings suggest that younger Singaporeans are entering the investing world earlier and with access to many of the same products as older investors.

Confidence remains the biggest hurdle

But while interest is high, some are still waiting on the sidelines with 33% never having invested.

When we asked non-investors what was holding them back, the most common answers were fear of losing money, not knowing enough about investing and lacking the confidence to get started. Younger adults were more likely to say they found investing complicated or simply didn't know where to begin.

Many also felt they needed more money before they could start investing, while others said they were looking for a simpler way to take that first step.

For us, the takeaway was simple. People want to invest. The challenge isn't interest. It's making the first step feel easier, more accessible and less intimidating.

Say hello to Freedom

That's exactly why we're introducing stockback and launching the Trust Freedom card today.

Freedom is the first credit card in Singapore to offer stockback, allowing customers to earn investment rewards from everyday spending. Customers can now use rewards they earn through spending to build an investment portfolio over time.

With stockback, customers earn fractional investment rewards whenever they spend. For every dollar spent, customers earn a stockback value. Once their accumulated stockback reaches SGD10 ($7.82), it is automatically invested into the US stock or US ETF they've selected. Customers can choose from a curated list of 50 stocks and ETFs and update their selection any time before the next investment transaction.

We built Freedom around a simple idea: What if investing could happen naturally as part of everyday life?

For many people, the hardest part of investing is finding the time, confidence or extra money to get started. By connecting investing to everyday spending, we're helping customers begin building an investment portfolio and gain confidence in investing over time.

Freedom isn't just for people taking their first step into investing. It's also designed for experienced investors who want to make every dollar work harder by turning rewards they would normally earn from spending into investments automatically, helping them grow their portfolio effortlessly and benefit from compounding over time.

One credit card. Multiple ways to earn.

Freedom is an innovative and reimagined version of our popular Cashback Card, designed to give flexibility to choose how they want to be rewarded. For the first time ever, customers don't need to take yet another card to access new rewards. Customers can flexibly choose whether they want to earn stockback, bonus cashback or a new unlimited cashback and switch between them every quarter. Some may prefer keeping the well-loved cashback option, while others may want to focus on building wealth for tomorrow.

Until 31 December 2026, customers who choose stockback will earn an introductory 3% stockback on both local and foreign spend. For cashback options, customers will continue to enjoy the existing bonus cashback offer with no change (up to 15% bonus cashback on their preferred category, plus up to 1% on all eligible spend), or select a new unlimited cashback rate of up to 1.5% on all eligible spend with no minimum spend and cap. Refer to the Trust App for all T&Cs.

Watch this space. We will soon expand Freedom to also introduce miles. Customers can then choose cashback, stockback or miles depending on their interests.

At Trust, we've always believed that managing money should be simple, accessible and rewarding. With Freedom, we're making it easier for customers to take that first step into investing and start building wealth through something they're already doing every day.

Adeline Kim, country manager, regional Southeast Asia and senior vice president, global clients and acquirers, Asia Pacific of Visa, said: "Choice is what turns a payment product into daily financial companion. With Freedom, our customers do not have to decide between spending today and investing for tomorrow. They can do both seamlessly, by turning the rewards they earn from everyday spending into opportunities to invest. This is the kind of innovation Visa is proud to collaborate with our partner, Trust Bank: simple, secure and intuitive experiences that help more people see every transaction as a step towards greater financial confidence."

Dwaipayan Sadhu, chief executive officer of Trust Bank, said: "When we spoke to young Singapore residents, what stood out wasn't a lack of interest in investing. It was that many people felt investing was still too complicated, intimidating or expensive to get started. We wanted to change that. With Freedom, something as simple as buying coffee, groceries or paying for dinner can become a small step towards building wealth. Instead of rewards sitting idle, customers can put them to work in investments that have the potential to grow over time."

Re-disseminated by The Asian Banker