Is AI trading legal in Singapore?
Verdict
- Running an AI or automated strategy on your own trading account is a normal, broker-supported activity. Pepperstone, our pick for automation, supports it through MT4 and MT5 expert advisors, cTrader cBots and API access, and nothing in our sources bars Singapore residents from doing this.
- The legal questions sit with the firms. Pepperstone serves Singapore residents from the Bahamas (SCB SIA-F217), holds no MAS licence, and publishes no Singapore-specific statement on who may open an account.
- Before paying for a bot or signal service, search the seller on the MAS Financial Institutions Directory. MAS-licensed CFD firms in our data include IG Asia, CMC Markets Singapore, Saxo, OANDA, Plus500SG, StoneX (FOREX.com) and Phillip Securities.
- This is not legal advice. If you plan to trade other people's money with your strategy, speak to a Singapore lawyer first.
Two different questions hide inside this one: may you use software to place your own trades, and is the company on the other side allowed to serve you? The first is straightforward. The second is where Singapore traders should spend their time.
Your own bot on your own account
Brokers advertise automation as a standard feature. Pepperstone lists expert advisors on MT4 and MT5, C# cBots through cTrader Automate, API trading and a free VPS for eligible and Pro clients, and its fee pages show no separate charge for using them. An AI model that decides your trades and sends them through one of these channels is, from the broker's side, the same as any other automated order. You remain responsible for every position it opens.
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Where Singapore licensing comes in
MAS licenses firms, and the firm holding your account is what decides your protections. A search of the MAS Financial Institutions Directory for Pepperstone returned no result on 21 October 2026, and Pepperstone names no Singapore company. Its Singapore clients deal with Pepperstone Markets Limited in Nassau, whose terms give retail clients negative balance protection; its protection page names no compensation scheme. If you want a Singapore-supervised counterparty, these firms hold MAS licences according to their own sites:
| Firm | Singapore entity | Licence shown |
|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | None; Pepperstone Markets Limited (Bahamas) | SCB SIA-F217, no MAS |
| IG | IG Asia Pte Ltd | MAS capital markets services licence |
| CMC Markets | CMC Markets Singapore | MAS |
| Saxo | Saxo Capital Markets Pte. Ltd. | MAS capital markets services licence |
| Plus500 | Plus500SG Pte Ltd | MAS CMS100648 |
| eToro | eToro Singapore Pte. Ltd. | MAS CMS101824 |
Situations that need a closer look
- Selling your bot or its signals to other people.
- Running a strategy on accounts that belong to friends, family or clients.
- Paying a company that promises AI-generated returns and asks you to deposit with it rather than with a broker in your own name.
- Using a broker that publishes no eligibility statement for Singapore; read its client agreement before you fund it.
Sources
Licence checks and broker terms, as published.
Do I need a licence to run a trading bot on my own account?
Nothing in our sources suggests so for a personal account at a broker that supports automation. Trading for others is a different matter; get legal advice first.
Can Singapore residents open a Pepperstone account?
Pepperstone routes Singapore visitors to its international site and the Bahamas entity, but it publishes no Singapore-specific eligibility statement and holds no MAS licence. Read the client agreement before you deposit.
How do I check an AI trading company?
Search its exact company name on the MAS Financial Institutions Directory, then check which broker would hold your money and whether that broker is licensed.
This page is general information, not legal or investment advice. CFDs are complex leveraged products with a high risk of losing money rapidly, whether trades are placed by hand or by software.