FAQs

Once you have been on-boarded as a client of CONNECT, we will send you details of your new CONNECT account with instructions on how It can be funded in US Dollars or another currency (generally by electronic funds transfer).

CONNECT does not hold your funds. Your assets and funds will be held in custody with BNY Mellon’s Pershing LLC.

Once you transfer funds to your CONNECT account and you have finalised your goal(s), you can log into CONNECT to invest in your goals. We will take care of the execution and settlement for you. The settlement of your investment will take place three business days after we place your order.

The minimum starting deposit is US$ 1,500 or its equivalent in foreign currency. Subsequent deposits may be made in any amount.

We accept telegraphic transfer or MEPS (SG$ only). We require that all inbound and outbound remittances be made from and to a pre-approved account that is in your name.

Incoming transfer of funds may take up to three working days depending on your bank.

We will let you know by email that your money has reached your CONNECT account. Depending on your method of transfer this could take two to three working days. You are then ready to log on to CONNECT and invest in your goals.

Yes, although your investments will be made in US Dollars. If you transfer in funds in non US Dollars, we will convert your funds to US Dollars and you will receive a confirmation for your records.

Available cash in your account can be transferred electronically to an approved account that is in your name. Prior to initiating an outbound remittance you will need to sign a statement authorising us to send funds on your behalf.

At this time, your CONNECT account can only accept cash deposits.

You are free to top up with as little or as much as you like. However, the certificates are available in smaller amounts subject to minimum denominations of US$ 1,000 (or foreign currency equivalent).

There is no need to notify us. Any funds received from your approved funding bank account will be automatically processed and will be visible as cash on CONNECT ready to invest. Depending on your method of transfer this clearing process can take two to three working days.

Your investment portfolio is held as the reference asset in a CONNECT Certificate. This means that you have three main risk factors to consider before making an investment:

Are you comfortable with the risk level that you have selected in terms of exposure to global markets?
Your market risk exposure is determined by the preferences that you set for each goal.

Are you comfortable with the credit quality of the issuer of the Certificates?
In our case the issuer of the CONNECT Certificates is Banque Julius Baer, a Swiss bank that is rated Aa2 by Moody’s.

Are you comfortable with the custodian that is holding your cash and securities?
Your assets and funds will be held in custody with BNY Mellon’s Pershing LLC (see https://www.pershing.com/about/strength-and-stability). Pershing LLC (member FINRA, NYSE, SIPC), is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.

Absolutely not. Our portfolios offer daily liquidity with no redemption or transaction fees. Please note that sales orders, like purchase orders, settle on a T+3 basis – this means that it typically takes three business days for your transactions to settle and reflect as available cash in your CONNECT account.

The My Dashboard page has links to the investments in your portfolio. Explore this section to find out more about the status of your investments, monitor their progress as well as download term sheets, and other useful analytical data.

The minimum starting deposit is US$ 1,500 or its equivalent in foreign currency. Subsequent deposits may be made in any amount. There is no minimum balance required to keep your account active.

The portfolio allocation depends on each goal. On your account page, you can click on a goal to see its breakdown by asset classes (equities, bonds, alternative investments and cash) and by regions.

Your investment in each goal is held within a CONNECT Certificate. We rebalance at least monthly but may also rebalance in order to keep your portfolio aligned with your goals and risk suitability in the event of a major market movement or a change in fundamental economic conditions. Because rebalancing occurs within the Certificates, there are no transactions or fees generated when this happens.

As with all investments the expected returns depend on your stated risk profile. On your account page, you can click on a goal to see its expected return. Expected returns are based on the historical performance of similar investments and are indicative. In addition, the greater the expected return, the greater the risk associated with owning that portfolio.

Once you have transferred funds to your CONNECT account, you can log in to CONNECT to make your investment choices. We will do our best to see that the full balance in your account is invested, however due to the minimum unit size of the Certificates you could be left with a small cash balance. The settlement of the trade will take three business days.

Investments made via the CONNECT platform settle in three business days. You will see your investment reflected on your CONNECT account after settlement.

CONNECT is designed to provide you with an actively managed and balanced portfolio specifically matched to the risk and return preferences you establish for each goal. Should you change your risk preferences for any goal, you can switch to a different portfolio without incurring any fees. All access to your CONNECT account is accomplished through the CONNECT platform.

That’s simple and easy. Transfer funds into your CONNECT account from your approved funding bank account and once cleared it will show as un-invested cash in your CONNECT portfolio. Select an existing goal or create a new one to make your new investments.

Simply visit CONNECT online and redeem your investment in the related goal. Once the cash value is visible in CONNECT, you can notify us on support@crossbridgeCONNECT.com that you would like to withdraw the funds and we’ll provide the necessary documentation that needs to be completed. Cash transfers can only be made to your approved bank accounts.

We will need the following documentation to complete your account:

1. A copy of your passport, with at least 6 month’s validity
2. Proof of your residential address
3. Proof of your Accredited Investor status  and the Opt-In Form
4. E-signed Terms of Business (available on the CONNECT website)
5. E-Signed and Completed W-8BEN or W9 form (available on the CONNECT website)

A National Registration Identification Card, or NRIC, is the identity document used in Singapore for Singapore citizens.

A Foreign Identification Number, or FIN, is issued to an individual who is a permanent resident of Singapore and long-term pass holders by the Singapore government.

Providing this information is optional but may speed up your account application.

We are required by current regulation to know where you are a tax resident.

When prompted during the account set up process, please select the primary country in which you work and pay taxes.

Different countries pose different risks of money laundering and dependent on your answer, we may be in touch to gather a little more information.

You will need to provide documentation showing:
(a) you have net personal assets exceeding SG$ 2 million, whereby the net value of his/her primary residence is taken into account for no more than SG$ 1 million, or
(b) that your income in the preceding 12 months is not less than SG$ 300,000 or
(c) you have financial assets (net of any related liabilities) exceeding SG$ 1 million.

We can accept a bank statement, title deed, property tax statements, pay slips (three months), IRAS statement, a CPF statement or brokerage statement. Documents have to be dated within the last three months or alternatively once a year annual statements to be supported by one recent pay slip.

Other than the proof of AI status, we will also require the Opt-In Form, where you declare that you want to be treated as an AI.

You can upload multiple documents to evidence your Accredited Investor status.

You are required to make a declaration of your tax residency by completing either the W-8BEN or W9 form during the account set up process.

If you are a U.S. person, please complete and submit the W9 form.

If you are not a U.S. person, please complete and submit the W-8BEN form.

For clarity on the definition of U.S. persons and whether you should be classified as one, please seek professional independent advice.

We require you to provide your personal bank details when setting up your CONNECT account. Incoming funds can only be accepted if transferred from this approved account (or other approved accounts that you may add later) and any withdrawal you request can only be made to this (these) account(s).

The account must be in your name and match the name of your CONNECT account. Third party transfers are not accepted.

To change your funding account details associated with CONNECT you will need to contact support@crossbridgeCONNECT.com.

Changing the destination of any outgoing funds post account set up requires a number of security checks on our side.

For your security, we are extremely careful when processing such requests and as such, updating these details may take a little time.

Our Terms of Business document sets out the terms and conditions of the services that we will provide to you and you should read them carefully before accepting them.

This document is available here.

To comply with our internal Know Your Customer procedures, we screen some of your personal information against various international databases via a widely used third-party service.

This is an important step in ensuring we can identify and exclude potential money laundering risks. The search does not have any impact on your credit rating.

We aim to make closing an account as quick and simple as possible. Simply send an email to operations@crossbridgeCONNECT.com to request account closure and we will contact you to process your request.

No problem.

To change any of your account details associated with CONNECT simply contact support@crossbridgeCONNECT.com

CONNECT is Singapore’s first digital advisory platform developed by Crossbridge Capital’s in-house investment advisory team. Based on your financial goals which you create, CONNECT will establish if investing in a diversified portfolio is the right strategy for you. If so, it will match you to a CONNECT portfolio we have created tailored to your individual investment needs.

Investing with CONNECT provides you with the benefits of a personalised and diversified portfolio without the hassle and the high fees of traditional providers. We aim to help you visualise and achieve your financial goals and to allocate investments accordingly.

If you are at least 18 years of age and an Accredited Investor according to Singapore regulations, you may be eligible to become a client of CONNECT. See the Account Opening FAQs for further guidance on residency requirements.

In Singapore, an Accredited Investor has:
(a) net personal assets exceeding SG$ 2 million (or equivalent in foreign currency) whereby the net value of his/her primary residence is taken into account for no more than SG$ 1 million, or
(b) an income in the preceding 12 months of not less than SG$ 300,000 (or equivalent in foreign currency), as defined in Section 4A(1)(a) of the Securities and Futures Act (SFA), Chapter 289, or
(c) financial assets (net of any related liabilities) exceeding SG$ 1 million, where “financial asset” means a deposit, an investment product or any other assets.

We aim to make pricing as simple and transparent as possible.

With CONNECT, you benefit from a simple pricing model without transaction charges, brokerage costs or any hidden fees.

CONNECT Certificates include administrative and management fees of up to a maximum of 1.25% per annum. As the Investment Adviser we receive a portion of these fees to manage the portfolios we have created for you. These fees only apply to your investment amount and do not apply to your cash balance. As result, when we present a target return to you, this is the net number. There are no other fees. What you see is what you get.

Traditionally financial institutions create a risk profile for each client by asking them a series of multiple choice questions that are designed to evaluate the client’s ability to tolerate risk versus the return they expect.

There are two problems with this approach. Firstly, one risk profile probably doesn’t fit all of your goals. For example, a low risk, low return investment may be appropriate for a long term goal like university savings whereas a higher return investment might be needed for a shorter term goal such as a wedding party. Secondly, these traditional risk profiles often become stale as the client’s financial situation changes over time.

Using technology, we have found a better approach.

CONNECT allows you to define your risk and suitability profile for each goal. As part of your on-boarding process and before investing in each new goal you will interact with a set of sliders, or controls. Moving the sliders changes the expected investment outcome on the graph and it also generates a risk suitability profile that describes the characteristics of a person who would typically make a similar investment. Once you have seen the description, you might decide to change your risk profile to fit another description.

CONNECT presents you with a selective set of portfolios that correspond to your specific risk profile and focuses on diversification and optimal risk-adjusted performance.

With CONNECT, you benefit from a simple pricing model without transaction charges or any hidden fees.

You invest and monitor your portfolio through a simple and user friendly web-based interface, whenever you want.

Once you fund your account, CONNECT takes care of all transactions:

• Executing the investment in the chosen portfolio.
• When appropriate, rebalancing the portfolio, which would occur as and when the portfolio allocation moves from the model portfolio due to market fluctuations.

We do not charge brokerage fees to rebalance your portfolio.

CONNECT is designed for Accredited Investors only.

This means we can provide you with exposure to asset classes that may not be available to retail investors. Additionally, we utilise highly efficient CONNECT Certificates as investment vehicles to reduce the negative effect of transaction costs on your returns.

Yes, CONNECT is part of Crossbridge Capital Asia, which has a Capital Markets Services License granted by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Additionally, Crossbridge Capital Asia is part of the Crossbridge Capital Group, the leading global wealth management company, which also has other regulated entities in London and Monaco and counts two Swiss Banks as minority shareholders.

No. You are responsible for assessing the potential tax implications of choosing to invest with CONNECT in Singapore. CONNECT is not responsible for any tax consequences of your investments.

U.S. persons using CONNECT will receive an IRS 1099 Form in order to facilitate their U.S. tax reporting and documentation.

CONNECT is compliant with Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA).

We take data security very seriously and have ensured that the latest technologies are used to host the CONNECT platform. Any of your data stored at CONNECT is encrypted to 256-bit level both in transit and at rest. This is the same, or in some cases, higher than the level used by banks.

Assuming you had the time and the expertise, you could build a portfolio yourself. You are likely to find that the DIY option often ends up costing you more in fees (both disclosed and hidden) especially after you consider initial transaction fees, rebalancing transaction fees, embedded product fees, custodian fees, statement fees, confirmation fees… and the list goes on.

At CONNECT the only fees you pay are the advisory and administrative fees built into the CONNECT Certificates.

You might also consider hiring a professional manager either through your bank or by purchasing units of a mutual fund. We created CONNECT because the high fees associated with those traditional options can seriously and negatively impact the returns on your portfolio.

The CONNECT team has taken great measures to ensure resiliency and recoverability when developing the CONNECT platform and any unavailability of the platform is highly unlikely.

Should this ever occur, you can call the investment team which is available to help and continue to manage your account while we get CONNECT back online.