While SGX builds on its status as an Asian Gateway, our domestic market continues to be an important contributor to our revenue. Buoyed by bullish market conditions, retail participation in Singapore was more active in FY2007 than in the previous year. A total of 38,588 new direct individual and joint accounts were opened with the Central Depository (CDP) during the year, compared to 25,337 in FY2006. At the same time, the base of active¹ retail investors averaged 191,890 compared to 158,896 the year before.

To further bolster growth in this area, SGX has adopted a three-pronged strategy:
• to continually expand product offerings which appeal to retail investors;
• to empower individuals with knowledge of the markets; and
• to attract new securities and derivatives customers.

Product expansion and meeting market needs
The roll-out of new products is key to strengthening SGX’s position as a wealth management
platform in the minds of retail investors. In FY2007, we listed eight new ETFs ranging from
indices to commodities. We also launched Certificates, a new product class which allows
investors to invest in a yield-enhancement product whose performance is tied to the
underlying shares. In addition, investors seeking yield investments could choose from
16 REITs listed on SGX.

Empowering investors
In FY2007, we organised a broad range of educational programmes, including general investment courses and product seminars for investors of all levels. For example, in order to increase investor awareness and educate retail participants on the advantages of ETFs, SGX embarked on a wide-ranging ETF campaign. This included lunch-time broker sessions, seminars, radio shows, advertisements, and an online index contest.

A total of 16 courses and 75 seminars (including 21 on ETFs, 20 on structured warrants and four on Certificates) were attended by more than 9,550 investors. In addition to face-to-face classes, SGX employed other modes of investor education during the course of the year, such as online webcasts, e-learning programmes, articles in local dailies, and the quarterly CDP newsletter, SGXchange.

The SGX Call Centre, which was launched in November 2005, continues to be an important two-way communication platform for retail investors. We received over 12,485 calls via the toll-free number 1800-CALL-SGX in FY2007.

Attracting new customers
To acquaint new investors with the stock market, we collaborated with retail brokers and business partners to launch our first online trading game, SGX StockWhiz. Between August
and October 2006, over 9,400 investors participated in this risk-free challenge, using virtual cash to trade in shares. We are also making efforts to engage younger retail investors.
In December 2006, we organised the first-ever ‘Ministry of SGX’ event at the Ministry of Sound. The programme, which included an investment quiz modelled after a television quiz show, combined fun and finance to engage the younger retail investors.

At the same time, SGX is consciously cultivating the next generation of investors. SGX already has a history of supporting the investment clubs run by students at the three local universities. In May 2007, we also worked with MoneySENSE – the national financial education programme – to introduce the SGX Inter-School StockWhiz Challenge. With the aid of online investment tools, students from selected secondary schools in Singapore learned the basics of stock investments and managing investment portfolios.