Guides / City guides / Singapore
Break into investment banking in Singapore.
The hub for Southeast Asia deals, sovereign wealth and private wealth. Many banks run their Asia teams from here, and work-pass rules shape who gets hired.
The Singapore recruiting year.
Global banks recruit Singapore interns alongside their wider Asia process.
- July–September
Summer internship portals open
Global banks open Asia summer analyst programmes for penultimate-year students, usually reviewing on a rolling basis.
What to do: Have your CV and technicals ready by early summer.
- September–November
Deadlines and online tests
Most large banks close in the autumn, with numerical tests and video interviews soon after you apply.
What to do: Apply early and practise timed tests.
- November–February
Interviews
Technical and fit interviews, often with questions on Southeast Asian markets.
What to do: Follow two or three recent Southeast Asia deals you can talk about.
- May–August
Summer internship
Around ten weeks on live deals. Most graduate offers come from the summer class.
What to do: Treat it as a ten-week interview.
- Year-round
Off-cycle internships
Common at boutiques and regional banks, and a good way in for students on flexible terms.
What to do: Use them if you missed the main cycle.
- Final year
Graduate programmes
Direct graduate entry at global and local banks, with fewer places.
What to do: Include DBS, OCBC and UOB on your list.
Typical windows only. Exact dates vary by bank each year.
Ways in.
Summer internship
The main route to a graduate offer at global banks.
Off-cycle internship
Three to six months, often at boutiques and regional banks.
Graduate programme
Global banks plus local leaders DBS, OCBC and UOB.
Lateral from Big 4 or corporate banking
Transaction services and corporate banking are common bridges.
Who hires in Singapore.
Apply across global, local and boutique banks. Sovereign funds and family offices hire analysts here too.
| Tier | Examples | Why apply |
|---|---|---|
| Global banks | Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, Citi, UBS, HSBC, Bank of America | Regional coverage teams and global training. |
| Local banks | DBS, OCBC, UOB | Strong corporate finance and capital markets franchises in Southeast Asia. |
| Boutiques and others | Rothschild & Co, Lazard, Jefferies, Macquarie, Nomura | Smaller classes, more off-cycle roles. |
A Singapore quirk: foreign hires need an Employment Pass, so your offer must meet the salary floor and the COMPASS points test. Large banks handle this routinely; small firms may not.
Are you Singapore-ready?
Tick what you’ve done. Be honest: interviewers will find out.
The Singapore selection process.
- Online application, usually reviewed on a rolling basis.
- Online tests and a recorded video interview.
- Technical and fit interviews with the team.
- Final round or assessment centre, sometimes with a case study.
Visas and work rights.
Singapore has no separate post-study work visa. Foreign graduates need an employer to sponsor an Employment Pass.
In 2026 a new Employment Pass in financial services needs a monthly salary of at least S$6,200, rising with age, and 40 points on COMPASS unless exempt. From 1 January 2027 the minimum rises to S$6,600.
Test yourself: Singapore
Questions from the Mandate app. Try each before you open it.
Singapore’s central bank and financial regulator is…
MAS. It acts as both central bank and regulator.
Singapore banking teams often cover…
Southeast Asia. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines feature heavily.
Singapore’s stock exchange is…
SGX. The Straits Times Index (STI) is its main index.
Foreign graduates working in Singapore typically need…
An Employment Pass. Check the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for the latest criteria, including the COMPASS points framework.
Get ready before applications open.
Mandate covers the technicals every Singapore interview starts with, plus regional deal flow, with unlimited AI mock interviews.