The brokerage's active investors aged 30 and under rose more than 20 per cent year-on-year, as the Singapore Exchange prepares to cut board lot sizes.

OCBC Securities, the broking arm of OCBC, will permanently remove minimum commissions on all online trades on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) from 5 October. The move follows a sharp rise in trading among investors aged 30 and under.

As at 30 September, active young investors, defined as those who traded in Singapore or overseas markets at least once in the previous six months, rose more than 20 per cent year-on-year. That outpaced growth across the firm's wider investor base. The number of trades by these clients rose by close to 60 per cent, OCBC said in a statement. 

The broking data relates to the group's retail and affluent clients, but it shows how far trading activity in Asia has moved online. More than 95 per cent of OCBC Securities' young investors trade exclusively online.

The commission change coincides with SGX's cut in board lot sizes. From 5 October, the board lot will fall from 100 units to 10 units for instruments priced above S$10 ($7.81), and to one unit for those priced above S$100. The first phase covers 11 stocks priced above S$10.

According to OCBC Securities, younger clients tend to build portfolios progressively rather than wait to accumulate larger sums, so they trade more often. Of the 10 Singapore shares most traded by young investors this year, seven were priced below S$10. The other three were the local banks.

Singapore's authorities have been trying to revive a local equity market long hampered by thin liquidity and few new listings. The Monetary Authority of Singapore set up a review group in 2024 and in 2025 it announced measures including a S$5 billion programme to channel funds into local equities via asset managers. Retail brokers, including digital platforms such as Moomoo and Tiger Brokers, have competed heavily on fees to win younger investors.