Lifetime 0 commission on US stocks & higher wealth fund interest rates for eligible sign-ups with uSMART from now till Dec. 31

With retail investing brokerages taking off in numbers, a layperson like me can now dabble in buying a share of the world’s largest companies right from the palm of my hands.

I must admit, however, I’m neither a high-volume trader nor a professional.

I just read up about companies or industries I’m interested in and invest in them whenever I feel my wallet allows for it.

What I look out for as a casual investor

When choosing brokerages, the differentiation to a casual investor like me comes down to things like fees and commissions and user-friendliness.

One such broker is uSMART, a Hong Kong-founded brokerage which offers lifetime zero commissions on U.S. stocks.

This brokerage has a growing presence in Singapore, having opened their second physical branch in Orchard in October 2025, and is also celebrating their eighth anniversary this year.

Their offer was enough to get me curious about them so here’s what I found about the brokerage.

Getting started

Setting up an account was straightforward. You download the app, enter your email or phone number and it asks for permission to retrieve your personal details via SingPass.

There are quite a few questions to answer about your source of income, net wealth, investment experience and goals, but this isn’t a bad thing to me.

They’re standard and also make me trust the broker more, knowing that they pay attention to such background checks.

There are three account types to choose from — Trader, Standard and Intel — and each has its own fee structure and feature access.

A minimum net asset value requirement of more than S$2,000 is required to be eligible for the Intel account.

The Intel account is also subject to slightly higher platform fees, but account holders get access to uSMART’s investment tools, such as unlimited access to pattern insights and real-time daily hot picks.

I went with the Standard account to cater to my casual trading needs.

On the uSmart Standard account, I can access some of the features mentioned above, but usage is limited.

For example, while users of the Intel account have unlimited access to the “Pattern Insights” feature, as a Standard account user, I only have 10 uses per day.

Within a day, my account was opened. I even got a message from one of uSmart’s relationship managers the next day with information on how I could start trading.

Using the app

Once your account is up, the app takes you to the trading page where a watchlist of various stocks and ETFs has already been compiled, which I thought would be helpful for new investors.

I found the trading interface simple enough to use while still including information that I believe both novice and advanced traders might find useful.

One interesting feature is the community section, which lets users vote ‘up’ or ‘down’ on stocks, crowdsourcing user sentiments.

Crowd sentiment is hardly the best way to pick investments, but I thought it was interesting to get an idea of how people are thinking about the different stocks.

I also found that the video guides available on the app are useful for getting acquainted with trading topics, such as on margin accounts and scam prevention.

Higher interest rate promotion on wealth management fund

Aside from trading, uSMART also offers wealth management products that may help grow your capital with managed risk.

To be eligible for the higher interest rate, new joiners will have to make a net investment of between S$2,000 and S$8,000 during the promotion period on the Maybank Money Market Fund.

According to uSMART, the higher interest rate is supported by a top-up from uSMART if the fund's actual return falls short.

This promotion is also available to existing uSMART users who have not previously invested in uSMART's wealth management funds.

New joiners who deposit S$5,000 and above will also receive a portable fan as a welcome gift, while stocks last.

FX, crypto and commodities, all-in-one app

Besides the stocks and wealth management funds, uSMART also offers access to a range of markets, from US to Hong Kong and Japan.

I also found the option to trade foreign exchange, cryptocurrency, options and commodities.

Quite the all-in-one app, I would say.

Zero commission

Overall, I found uSMART’s trading platform intuitive and simple but also filled with enough tools to help sophisticated investors make the right call.

Those who are looking to take fewer risks can also put their money into wealth management products to grow their capital.

Apart from that, the idea of lifetime zero commission appeals to me as a casual investor. Why spend on commission fees and take home less?

While there are platform fees, they are fixed at US$0.88 (about S$1.13) per order, which makes costs predictable.

So if you’re looking for a brokerage to switch to or start your investing journey, consider giving uSMART a go.

The fact that they now have two physical branches — one at Robinson Road and one at Orchard — also means there is a point of contact with the brokerage should you ever need help with your account or investments.

Download the app, available on iOS and Android, or visit their website to open an account now.

The writer of this sponsored article is thinking about SpaceX stocks.