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Aspire Business Account vs Business Entrepreneur Account Plus (OCBC)
Aspire gives startups, SMEs, and mid-sized companies one platform for banking, international payments, and financial operations. OCBC's Business Entrepreneur Account Plus is tailored for founders and early-stage companies, backed by Singapore's second-largest local bank. Here's how they compare.
About Aspire
Aspire Business Account is a Multi-Currency Business Account offered by Aspire, who operates as a Payment Services Institution in Singapore.
About OCBC
Business Entrepreneur Account Plus (OCBC) is a SGD Business Current Account offered by OCBC, who operates as a Local Bank in Singapore.
Aspire Business Account vs Business Entrepreneur Account Plus (OCBC) key differences
Here's a side-by-side comparison of both accounts to highlight key differences and help you choose the best business account for your needs.
| Payment Services Institution | Local Bank | |
|---|---|---|
| Business account | ||
| Account type | Multi-Currency Business Account | SGD Business Current Account |
| Payment rails | Domestic: FAST, GIRO, MEPS, PayNow, Local TT International: ACH, SEPA, SWIFT, FPS | Domestic: FAST, MEPS, GIRO, cheque International: OCBC World Transfer, OCBC Network Transfer, IACH, cheque |
| Local collection accounts | 8 currencies (SGD, USD, EUR, GBP, MYR, PHP, IDR, VND) | SGD only |
| Batch payments | Supports in SGD, INR, USD, IDR, MYR, EUR, PHP, AUD, THB, VND | Supports in 14 currencies via OCBC Velocity |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Expense management | Offered natively for free; full expense management: corporate cards, real-time spend tracking, approval workflows, employee claims & reimbursements, budget management, receipt upload, accounting integration | Basic monitoring only; cashflow forecasting; via OCBC Velocity |
| Invoicing | Offered natively | Offered via InvoiceNow |
| Pricing and fees | ||
| Monthly fee | No monthly fee (Basic plan) / SGD $15 (Premium plan) | No monthly fee |
| Account set up fee | No account setup fee | No account setup fee |
| Minimum balance | No minimum balance required | Minimum balance: SGD $30,000 avg monthly balance Fall below fee: SGD $15/month |
| Local transfer fee (sending) | PayNow, FAST, Recurring/ Scheduled Transfers, Local TT: Free | FAST (via internet banking): SGD $0.50 PayNow: SGD $0.20 GIRO: SGD $0.20 |
| International transfer fee (sending) | SWIFT: USD $15 (SHA), USD $30 (OUR) | SWIFT: SGD $30 or 1/8% of amount; max SGD $150 IACH: SGD $30 OCBC Velocity: SGD $15 |
| Receiving payments fee | Local Receive: Free International Receive: SGD $35 for SGD account / USD $8 for other accounts via SWIFT | Local Receive: Free International Receive: Free (correspondent/intermediary fees may apply) |
| FX markup | From 0.22% | Not publicly disclosed |
| Global coverage | ||
| Supported currencies | 30+ currencies: SGD, USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, HKD, JPY, INR, IDR + 20 currencies more | 13 currencies: SGD, USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, HKD, AUD, CAD, CHF, CNH +3 more |
| Global payment network | 130+ countries | Singapore only |
| Integrations and ecosystem | ||
| Integration with third-party apps | 30+ integrations. Key apps: Amazon, Apple Pay, Xero, Info-Tech, Stripe | 20+ integrations. Key apps: Xero, QuickBooks, Shopify, StoreHub, HReasily |
| Accounting software integrations | Integrates with 10+ softwares. Direct integration with Xero and Quickbooks | Direct integration with Xero |
| E-commerce integration | Yes, with Shopify, Temu, Shopee, Amazon | Yes |
| ERP Integration | Yes | Yes |
| Support | ||
| Customer support | In-app live chat; email | Chatbot; live chat; phone hotline; branch; digital banking |
Business account
Pricing and fees
Global coverage
Integrations and ecosystem
Support*Fees may vary, Comparison as of July 2026
Trusted by 50,000+ modern businesses
4.5 rating
3 reasons why Aspire is better
Aspire is built to be your primary business account, helping you save more, earn more, and move faster in your day-to-day operations. Here's how Aspire stands out.
No recurring account charges on the Aspire Basic plan
Aspire's Basic plan is free to maintain month after month, with no subscription fee and no minimum balance, giving businesses a cost-effective base for their banking. Business Entrepreneur Account Plus (OCBC) requires maintaining a significant average balance, with fall-below fees applying if you dip under the threshold. For growing businesses with variable cash flows, Aspire's flexibility is a genuine operational advantage.
Currency coverage that removes barriers to international growth
With Aspire, currency is rarely a blocker: 30+ currencies for payments and 8 major wallet currencies mean your account supports your business wherever it operates. Business Entrepreneur Account Plus (OCBC) is focused on SGD, meaning international payments require currency conversion at every step. In practical terms, Aspire's 30+ currency support means your account handles most international payment scenarios without a separate FX provider.
Real-time expense controls
Aspire's spend management gives finance teams live insight into all company expenditure, with approval workflows that prevent overspend before it happens. For companies scaling their finance operations, native expense management means approvals happen in the same system your team uses for everything else, removing a significant point of friction.
How Aspire works
Aspire brings together the security of traditional banking with the innovation of modern fintech to create the future of business finance. Here's what makes our platform uniquely powerful:
Trusted banking foundation
Your money is safeguarded in Tier 1 banks like DBS Singapore, and backed by partnerships with Citibank, JPMorgan, and Visa. Get the security of traditional banking with the speed of modern fintech - all fully compliant with MAS regulations.
Seamless global payments
Send and receive payments in 30+ currencies across 130+ countries at market-leading rates. Our transparent fee structure means no surprises, while smart workflows streamline your operations from payroll to revenue collection.
AI-powered financial control
Take charge with intelligent tools built for modern business. From multi-level approvals to real-time fraud detection, automated reconciliation to comprehensive integrations - work smarter, not harder.
Run your finances from one place
Open a multi-currency business account with no monthly fee, built-in invoicing, and real-time expense tracking.
Frequently asked questions about Aspire Business Account vs Business Entrepreneur Account Plus (OCBC)
Businesses that want to move faster than traditional banking allows should choose Aspire over Business Entrepreneur Account Plus (OCBC). Specifically, growing startups and SMEs will benefit from Aspire's no minimum balance requirements or setup fees, multi-currency wallets and 30+ currencies for cross-border activity, and full built-in expense management and corporate cards. If your team is scaling quickly and needs a platform that grows with you rather than a bank account that slows you down. Aspire is the natural choice. <div
OCBC accounts are a strong fit for businesses that want a local bank with solid digital banking tools, OCBC Velocity offers batch payments, multi-currency management, and cashflow forecasting in a single portal. Businesses that also need trade finance, SME loans, or insurance products from their banking provider will benefit from OCBC's full financial services offering. OCBC's brand and branch network also provides reassurance for businesses that value physical touchpoints. <div
OCBC Business Entrepreneur Account Plus carries no monthly fee but requires a SGD $30,000 average monthly balance to avoid fall-below charges. Its local collection account is SGD-only, while Aspire offers local collection accounts in 8 currencies with no minimum balance. Aspire's native expense management, approval workflows, and 30+ integrations also exceed what OCBC Velocity provides. For businesses that need capital deployment flexibility, Aspire is the more practical choice. <div
Aspire offers better value for businesses that need capital flexibility. OCBC requires a significant minimum balance to avoid fall-below charges and applies per-transaction fees on local transfers, while Aspire has no minimum balance and no local transfer fees. For businesses that prefer to keep their full balance deployed in operations, Aspire is the lower-cost and more flexible option. OCBC offers value for businesses that need its full banking relationship and can comfortably maintain the balance threshold.
Hear it first from our customers
Gregory Van
CEO of Endowus
Read the case study“As a startup, we needed more flexible solutions to support our increasing needs, as well as ones that’d make the most financial sense in supporting our growth.”
- Saved per year
- $111,000
- Saved per year
- 900hr
Holly Qian
Head of Finance at First Page
Read the case study“By leveraging Aspire, First Page aimed to establish tighter control over our financial outflows, ensuring that all media spending stayed within the allocated budget limits. This was crucial for maintaining financial discipline and ensuring that our company’s marketing efforts were both effective and sustainable.”
- Saved per year
- $80,405
- Saved per year
- 2,834hrs
William Chong
Finance Director at Glints
Read the case study“In the past, we used different devices for calls, music, and work. Just like smartphones brought everything together, Aspire elegantly combines corporate cards, FX, business accounts, payables, and much more, into one user-friendly interface.”
- Saved per year
- $28,037
- Saved per year
- 860hrs
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