OCBC opens up in-app platinum, palladium trading to retail investors

[SINGAPORE] OCBC has expanded the precious metals trading capabilities on its mobile application, allowing retail investors to trade platinum and palladium bullion.

Starting from Tuesday (Aug 11), mass retail customers can digitally invest in platinum and palladium starting from a minimum of 0.01 ounce. Based on pricing from Friday, this micro-investing threshold translates to about S$23 for platinum and S$18 for palladium.

The new offerings build upon the bank’s digital gold and silver trading features, which were introduced to retail clients in October 2021.

They also democratise access to assets that local banks have traditionally reserved for affluent clients.

OCBC Group Research maintains a bullish outlook for both metals, forecasting spot prices for platinum to exceed US$2,000 and palladium to top US$1,500 by the first half of 2027. Prices stood at US$1,833 and US$1,389, respectively, at the end of June 2026.

Unlike gold, which is heavily influenced by central bank reserves and its status as a store of value, platinum and palladium are largely driven by industrial applications.

Platinum is a key material in automotive manufacturing, industrial processes and hydrogen fuel cell technologies, while palladium is critical for vehicle emissions-control systems.

Because demand for these metals is tethered to the automotive, industrial and clean energy sectors – coupled with highly concentrated global supply chains – their price movements often diverge from those of gold and silver.

Lower retail barrier to entry

The inclusion of platinum and palladium is part of a broader strategy by Singapore’s second-largest lender to lower the threshold for retail investors.

SEE ALSO

Gold’s epicentre is shifting to Asia, with prices buoyed by regional demand: analysts 

Asean gold demand in Q2 buoyed by Indonesia, Thailand, bucks broader global sell-off

Tan Siew Lee, head of group wealth management at OCBC, stated that combining fractional investment with a digital interface lowers the barrier to entry for all customers.

“We are strengthening our position as a leading wealth management player and as the go-to bank for precious metals,” she said.

However, Tan also highlighted the risk profile of the new assets, noting that platinum and palladium are high-beta metals.

She added that investors willing to tolerate higher volatility might use these metals to gain exposure to themes intersecting resource scarcity, industrial activity and the global energy transition.

OCBC added that it has seen robust adoption of its existing digital metals platform. In 2025, the number of customers investing in gold and silver via the app was up 2.5 times year on year, with demand remaining resilient through periods of heightened volatility in 2026, the bank said.