Endowus lets you invest your CPF-OA, SRS, and cash into globally diversified portfolios and cash management funds, while MariBank pays daily interest on idle savings with instant access. Using both together means your long-term money grows through Endowus, while your emergency cash stays liquid and still earns yield in MariBank — instead of sitting idle in a low-interest bank account.

Not financial advice. All figures are for educational reference only. Data as at July/August 2026 unless noted.

Why Use Two Platforms Instead of One

Most Singaporeans default to one bank for everything — savings, spending, and whatever “investing” they get around to. That’s convenient, but it usually means your CPF-OA sits idle at a low floor rate, your SRS contributions never get invested, and your cash savings earn less than they could.

Endowus and MariBank solve two completely different problems. Endowus is a robo-advisor that can invest your CPF Ordinary Account, your Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) funds, and your cash into globally diversified unit trusts and cash management portfolios. MariBank is a digital bank — it holds your cash, pays you daily interest, and gives you instant access whenever you need it.

Here’s why they work well together. You need some money that grows for the long term (CPF, SRS, long-term cash savings), and you need some money that stays liquid for emergencies or short-term spending. Trying to make one platform do both jobs usually means compromising on one side.

What Endowus Actually Does

Endowus is Singapore’s largest robo-advisor by assets. It’s one of the only platforms MAS-licensed to invest CPF-OA and SRS funds directly, alongside cash, into institutional-class unit trusts — funds that ordinarily carry sales charges and trailer commissions when bought through a bank, but come with those fees rebated on Endowus.

For CPF-OA and SRS, Endowus Fund Smart charges 0.40% p.a. on top of the underlying fund’s own expense ratio (typically 0.10%–0.50% p.a.). For cash, Endowus offers two products: Fund Smart (long-term multi-asset portfolios, 0.25%–0.60% p.a. depending on portfolio size) and Cash Smart (short-term cash management, a flat 0.05% p.a. access fee regardless of funding source).

That means Endowus can hold three different jobs for you at once: your CPF-OA growth engine, your SRS growth engine, and your short-term cash parking — all under one login.

What MariBank Actually Does

MariBank, backed by Sea Group (Shopee’s parent company), is a Singapore digital bank offering a savings account with daily interest and a linked instant loan and credit card. Unlike Endowus, MariBank cannot invest your CPF-OA or SRS — it’s a bank account, not an investment platform.

As at 1 July 2026, MariBank’s base rate on the Mari Savings Account is 0.88% p.a., with no minimum deposit, no salary crediting, and no minimum spend required. Interest is calculated daily on your balance. New users signing up can currently earn up to 2.88% p.a. on the first S$100,000 for the first 3 months — a strong window to park an emergency fund while it’s active.

Where MariBank wins over Endowus Cash Smart is instant, fee-free access — no redemption processing time, no market-linked fluctuation. That trade-off (simplicity and instant access, in exchange for a usually-lower long-run yield) is exactly why it plays the liquidity role in this two-platform setup.

Yield Comparison: MariBank vs Endowus Cash Smart

If you only look at the base rate, MariBank looks like the weaker option for parking cash. However, the two products aren’t really substitutes — they sit at different points on the risk-and-access spectrum.

Source: maribank.sg (base rate as at 1 Jul 2026); endowus.com Cash Smart net yields (as at 30 Apr 2026). Rates fluctuate and are not guaranteed.

In practice, most people using this combo keep 3–6 months of expenses in MariBank for instant access, and route anything beyond that — plus CPF-OA and SRS — into Endowus. That way, the money you might need tomorrow stays liquid, and the money you won’t touch for years actually works for you.

The CPF-OA Growth Gap: Invested vs Un-Invested

Here’s the part MariBank literally cannot help you with. Your CPF-OA earns a floor rate of 2.5% p.a. if left untouched. Endowus lets you invest that same CPF-OA into a globally diversified portfolio instead — and over long horizons, that gap compounds into a meaningful difference.

Using an illustrative S$50,000 CPF-OA balance: at the 2.5% p.a. floor rate, it grows to roughly S$81,900 after 20 years with no further contributions. Invested via Endowus Fund Smart at an assumed 5% p.a. long-term average — a conservative estimate for a globally diversified equity-and-bond portfolio, not a guarantee — the same S$50,000 grows to roughly S$132,700 over the same period.

That’s a projected gap of about S$50,800 on a single lump sum, before you even add ongoing CPF contributions. However, this is illustrative only: markets fall as well as rise, and a 5% p.a. average masks years where the portfolio value dips below the floor-rate line. If you’re within a few years of using your CPF-OA (for a home purchase, for example), the guaranteed floor rate may be the safer choice.

How to Set Up the Two-Platform Strategy

Setting this up takes about 20–30 minutes total, split across two sign-ups:

1. Open MariBank first. Sign up with referral code 2DCT80WQ via the MariBank referral code page to check the latest welcome bonus. Fund it with 3–6 months of expenses as your emergency sleeve.
2. Open Endowus. Sign up with referral code 2V343 via the Endowus referral code page. During onboarding, link your CPF-OA and SRS accounts — this is done through Endowus’s CPFIS and SRS integration, not a manual transfer.
3. Route your CPF-OA and SRS into Fund Smart. Pick a risk level matching your investment horizon. If you’re not touching CPF-OA for 10+ years, a growth-tilted portfolio is worth considering; if you need it sooner, dial the risk down.
4. Decide on excess cash. Anything beyond your MariBank emergency fund can go into Endowus Cash Smart (short-term) or Fund Smart cash portfolios (long-term), depending on your time horizon.
5. Review annually. CPF contribution caps, SRS relief limits, and MariBank promo rates all change year to year — check both platforms at least once a year.

Who This Strategy Is For (And Who It Isn’t)

This combo suits Singaporeans who want their CPF-OA and SRS actually invested (not sitting at floor/base rates), while keeping a separate, instantly-accessible cash buffer. If you’re debt-averse, risk-averse, or need your CPF-OA for a home purchase within the next few years, the guaranteed floor rate may serve you better than market exposure.

It’s also worth comparing this against other combos: some investors pair Trust Bank + FSMOne for a similar CPF/SRS-plus-cash setup, or use Endowus + IBKR if they want a separate self-directed brokerage for individual dividend stocks alongside their CPF/SRS robo-portfolio.

For a broader view of your retirement runway once CPF-OA, SRS, and cash are all working, the Singapore retirement calculator and CPF investment strategy guide are useful next steps.

For more on the mechanics behind this, see Endowus’s official pricing page and MariBank’s savings account guide. CPF-OA floor rate details are published by the CPF Board.

Frequently Asked Questions