Lion Global launches Singapore’s first physical gold fund with min. investment amount of $1

Investors in Singapore may start investing in Singapore’s first physical gold fund launched by Lion Global, with MariBank customers being able to start investing from as low as $1 on the digital bank's app.

Unveiled on Nov 25, the LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund is backed by physical gold that is securely stored and insured in the island-state. During the fund launch, the media were given a tour of the vault used for gold storage. Featuring robust security features, the vault also safekeeps other high-value items such as rare artwork.

The fund tracks the performance of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) Gold Price AM and invests in LBMA Good Delivery gold, i.e., gold bars produced by refineries which meet LBMA’s quality and purity standards.

With gold prices shooting through the roof in 2025 and reaching an all time high of more than US$4,380 per ounce, the launch of the fund illustrates the strong demand for the precious metal.

Lion Global Investors CEO Teo Joo Wah says that the fund “democratises” access to physical gold. “By anchoring the fund in Singapore and partnering with trusted institutions, the LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund represents a bold step forward in making physical gold investment more accessible, secure and relevant for today’s investors,” says Teo.

Similarly for MariBank, the fund offers the digital bank with the opportunity to develop a new product — Mari Invest Gold — that aligns with the bank’s mission to deliver a banking experience that is “simple, reliable and rewarding for everyone”.

See also: China added 15 tonnes to gold reserve in September: Goldman

“This simple philosophy directly extends to Mari Invest Gold,” says MariBank head of retail business Huo Haiyan at the fund launch. “Mari Invest Gold is fundamentally designed to lower the barrier of entry for every retail investor. Our customers can start investing in gold for as low as $1.”

Distributed to retail investors by OCBC, MariBank Singapore, Great Eastern and Singlife Group, there are three classes for retail subscription namely, Class A SGD, Class A USD and Class A SGD H which is FX hedged. From the fund’s prospectus, MariBank customers can only invest in Class A SGD H.

For non-MariBank customers, the minimum initial investment amount is $1,000 for the SGD- denominated classes and US$1,000 for the USD-denominated class. The sales charge and management fee are 2% and 0.4% per annum respectively for all classes.

See also: Gold advances with weakening US economy aiding haven demand

For investors using MariBank’s app, the sales charge is waived but the management fee is 0.5% per annum instead.

Stanchart has been appointed as the fund’s custodian and is also the gold provider for the fund. Its regional head of financing and securities services for Asean and southeast Asia, Francois Verlaine, says that the fund provides a “fresh alternative investment option” as it is locally managed with assets directly custodied in Singapore.

The fund is currently not available for investment under the CPFIS, but as the fund is a passive fund, Lion Global hopes to make it available “earlier” than actively-managed unit trusts for CPF investing. It is also seeking for the fund to be listed on the Singapore stock exchange in 2026.

The fund is available for subscription through the following avenues:

Investors should read the fund’s prospectus and other relevant documents before investing.