Overview
Aspire, at a glance.
Aspire is a payments platform headquartered in Singapore, regulated by MAS, Customs and Excise Department, ASIC and 3 other regulators. Business accounts cost from S$0 a month. Opening an account takes 3–5 days. Non-residents are accepted: owners and directors do not need to live in the country where the company is registered.
Aspire says customer funds are safeguarded at DBS Bank and other major banks and are never used by Aspire.
Why businesses pick Aspire
- No monthly fee on the Basic plan, no setup fee and no minimum balance
- Accepts companies from 16 countries, including Hong Kong, the United States, India, Indonesia and Australia
- Free local transfers and five free international transfers a month
- Up to 200 virtual cards, with 1% cashback on advertising and software spend
- Currency exchange from 0.46%
Watch out for
- In Singapore it operates under a temporary exemption, not a full payment licence
- Only for companies registered in 16 listed countries
- Gambling, peer-to-peer lending and resale of game codes and gift cards are not accepted
- Card scheme is not published
Business fit
Will Aspire accept your business?
Four quick answers. Where your company is registered and what it does rule a provider in or out faster than anything else.
Based on Aspire's published rules
Likely no
Aspire does not list United Kingdom among the countries where it accepts companies.
Aspire does not publish a minimum company age or turnover, so those two answers are not checked here.
This is one provider. Your profile checks all of them.
- Every provider that fits your business
- The reason behind each match
- Company age and turnover checked too
Who it works with
Accepted and not accepted.
What Aspire publishes about the businesses it takes on.
Who Aspire serves
- Startups and SMEs
- E-commerce
- SaaS
- IT and software
All 8 industries on Aspire's accepted list
- Startups
- Small and medium businesses
- E-commerce and global businesses
- Businesses receiving revenue
- Businesses making international payments
- Payroll and payables teams
- Businesses needing corporate cards and expense management
- Businesses using accounting integrations
Not supported
Industries and countries Aspire does not accept, from its own published lists.
Industries
- Drug paraphernalia, narcotics, steroids, certain controlled substances or other products that present a risk to consumer safety
- Gambling and games of chance where participants can win cash, cash equivalents, or prizes of material value, including lotteries and sweepstakes
- Resale and trade of digital game codes, vouchers and gift cards
- Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending or trading, and any form of financial transaction between individuals or businesses without a licensed intermediary
- Weapons, ammunition, firearms, certain firearm parts or accessories, knives regulated under applicable law
- Products or services related to political campaigning, social campaigning, governmental activities such as embassies
- Pseudo pharmaceuticals marketed via-unsubstantiated and/or unlawful health or medical claims
- Adult entertainment content and services, including escort agencies, sexual services, adult websites and content
- Atomic power related services
- Shell companies
- Correspondent banks
- Manufacturing, wholesale trade or speculative trading in oil & gas
- Debt collection, recovery, and settlement services
- Tobacco & (e)Cigarettes
- Recovery and collection past due receivables, credit repair/restoration, card protection (including identity theft protection), debt consolidation and mortgage reduction/consulting services
- Mining and oil companies owning extraction/mining licenses
- Any business that supports or trades counterfeit or unauthorised goods
- Any business registered in Prohibited Countries
- Crowdfunding platforms
- Any form of nested transactions or activities
- Unlawful or fraudulent activity; unlawful or fraudulent funds or criminal proceeds
- Activities for which the customer or Aspire is not duly licensed
- Harming minors or promoting hate, violence, racial or other discriminatory intolerance
- Intellectual-property, publicity or privacy infringement
- Unsolicited or unauthorised advertising, promotional material, chain letters, door-to-door sales or spam
- Viruses, spyware or similar harmful computer code
- Tax evasion or facilitating tax evasion
- Pyramid or Ponzi schemes, matrix programmes and other multi-level marketing schemes
- Bribery, money laundering, terrorist activities or corruption
- Counterfeit or unauthorised goods
Countries
- Not published
Coverage
Where can you use Aspire?
Coverage is a starting point. It does not confirm that every business in these markets is eligible.
Supported currencies
8 currencies
SGD, USD, EUR, GBP, MYR, PHP, IDR and VND; payments out in 30+ currencies.
Payment reach
Not published
Who can apply
Company incorporation countries16 countries · show list
- Australia
- China
- Hong Kong SAR China
- India
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mongolia
- Philippines
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- United States
- Vietnam
Owner nationality
Not publishedOwner residency
Not publishedCompany types
Not publishedPricing
What does Aspire cost?
Look beyond the monthly fee. Your total cost depends on how many transfers you make, where they go and how much you convert.
Account cost
Opening fee
Free
Monthly fee
SGD 0–15
depends on plan
Basic
Lowest costSGD 0 per month
SGD 0 setup · SGD 0 in year one
Premium
SGD 15 per month
SGD 0 setup · SGD 180 in year one
Transaction fees
| Cost | Listed amount | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Outgoing | ||
| SWIFT / international | Free | No charge · Five free international transfers a month |
Other fees
Currency exchange (FX)
| Cost | Listed amount | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| FX markup | From 0.46% | Percentage of the amount |
Cards
| Cost | Listed amount | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual card issue | Free | No charge |
| Physical card issue | Free | No charge · One per user |
Onboarding
From application to live account.
Opening an account typically takes three to five business days.
- 1
Apply
Start the application online or through the sales team.
- 2
Company and people
Give the company's registration details, directors and owners.
- 3
Checks
Upload the documents requested and complete identity verification.
- 4
Account live
Once approved, the account is opened and you receive its details.
Documents you need
Not published
FAQ
Your questions, answered.
Is Aspire a bank?
No. Aspire FT Pte. Ltd. is not a bank. In Singapore it operates under a temporary exemption from holding a licence under the Payment Services Act; group companies hold licences in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.
How much does Aspire cost?
Basic has no monthly fee and Premium costs S$15 a month. There is no setup fee. Local transfers are free, and currency exchange costs from 0.46%.
Which companies can open an Aspire account?
Companies registered in 16 countries: Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mongolia, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Which businesses does Aspire not accept?
Its acceptable use policy excludes gambling, drugs and drug paraphernalia, weapons, peer-to-peer lending, and resale of digital game codes, vouchers and gift cards, among others.
Alternatives
How Aspire compares.
If Aspire is not the right fit, these providers work with similar businesses. Compare their listed licences and services below.
| Provider | Licensed in | Known for |
|---|---|---|
 AspireThis pagePayments platform |      +1 | Free planCorporate cards |
 AirwallexE-money institution |  | Global accountsOnline businesses |
 StatrysMoney service operator | | Hong Kong accountFree account |
 Wise BusinessE-money institution |  | Low FX costsStandard businesses |
| CurrenxieMoney service operator |  | Hong Kong accountMarketplace sellers |
Not sure which one fits? Your profile ranks them for your business, with the reason behind each.