Enterprise companies flock to Singapore for the country’s low corporate tax rate, streamlined incorporation procedures and strong intellectual property protection. Singapore’s long-running prioritization of economic growth has extended favorable conditions to international capital and business. These organizations are among the largest companies to take root in Singapore.
The Biggest Companies in Singapore
- OCBC Bank
- DBS Bank
- Trafigura
- Wilmar International
- Singtel
Largest Companies in Singapore to Know
ST Engineering is a tech and engineering company serving the aerospace, defense, electronics, marine, public security, land systems and other sectors. It is one of the biggest companies listed on the Singapore stock exchange as well as one of the biggest engineering companies in Asia. ST Engineering products include aviation asset management systems, smart-city technology and systems to ensure safety in the air, on land and in water. The company was founded in 1967.
OCBC Bank is a prominent banking group in Singapore that provides banking services, asset management, insurance and brokerage services, as well as specialty financial and wealth management services for commercial clients and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. The second-largest financial services firm in Asia, the company has more than 500 branches across north and southeast Asia.
Singtel, headquartered in Singapore, is the largest telecommunications company in Asia. It provides a suite of services like voice and data calling, television and wireless internet connectivity. Singtel’s four areas of services are geared toward individuals, businesses, digital marketing and corporate services.
Garena, a publishing and online games company, is one of three companies held by Singapore-based Sea Limited. The other two are Shopee, an e-commerce platform, and SeaMoney, which offers digital financial services. The company was formed as Garena in 2009 and rebranded to Sea in 2017. The company, traded on the New York Stock Exchange, posted revenue of $13.1 billion in 2023.
Trafigura is a commodities broker that works as a supply chain partner. It sources, stores, processes and delivers products like fuel, gas, metals and minerals across its network of buyers and sellers. The company is the largest private metals trader in the world as well as a significant player in oil trading.
DBS Bank is the Development Bank of Singapore. Held by parent corporation DBS Group, DBS Bank offers retail banking, investment banking, mortgages and other loans, credit cards, insurance and wealth management. It serves markets across Asia, Australia and the United Kingdom, with headquarters in Singapore.
Grab Holdings, which does business as Grab, is an app that offers delivery services, ride hailing and financial services such as insurance and cashless payments. It was founded in 2012 as an Uber-like service for Asia; Grab is now publicly traded on Nasdaq and is one of Asia's first decacorns, meaning it has reached $10 billion in valuation.
Wilmar International, the largest agribusiness firm in Asia, specializes in food processing. The company offers production services like flour and rice milling, sugar milling and refining, palm oil cultivation and edible oil refining, taking raw agricultural materials and turning them into products and ingredients for food manufacturing.
Singapore Airlines is one of Singapore’s biggest companies. It employs more than 14,000 people and has 20 divisions, including SIA Engineering Co. Ltd., which handles maintenance and overhaul for the airline and other companies, among them Boeing and Rolls-Royce. Singapore Airlines ranks 10th in the world in terms of the number of international passengers it carries. The Singapore government is the majority owner of Singapore Airlines, which was founded in 1972.
InterSystems makes software products that help businesses ensure their data is clean and accessible. The company says its technology is used to manage more than 1 billion health records, for example, and supports thousands of daily shipping transactions. Singapore is one of more than two dozen countries where InterSystems has established operations.
