(SINGAPORE) — Singapore granted permanent residency (PR) to around 450 individuals under the Significant Investor Visa“>Global Investor Programme (GIP) from 2015 to 2025, with about S$930 million channeled into Singapore-based businesses and approved funds, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang said on February 27, 2026.
Gan disclosed the figures in response to a parliamentary question from Workers’ Party MP Fadli Fawzi (Aljunied GRC), setting out the latest publicly cited snapshot of outcomes tied to the investor-linked PR pathway.
The update matters to applicants and advisers tracking how Singapore’s Global Investor Programme translates investment commitments into PR approvals, and how investor capital moves through local businesses and funds linked to the scheme.
The GIP, administered by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) since 2004, targets high-net-worth global investors, entrepreneurs, and business owners to drive business growth, startups, and employment in Singapore.
Singapore positions the programme as a channel to anchor business activity and capital in the city-state, with applicants seeking PR through investments that are meant to support companies and the wider ecosystem.
Gan’s disclosure covered the 2015–2025 period and tied together two measures often discussed alongside the programme: the number of PRs approved under the GIP, and the value of investment linked to the GIP routes.
The data reflects approvals and investments tied to the Global Investor Programme pathway, rather than all PR approvals in Singapore or all foreign capital flowing into the economy.
Gan said approximately S$500 million was invested directly in new or existing Singapore-based businesses, while another S$430 million went into GIP-select funds targeting Singapore-based companies.
Those two channels together totaled about S$930 million channeled into firms and funds over the 2015–2025 window.
The direct business investments flowed through what the programme describes as Option A, while the fund-based route operates as Option B, with a third pathway structured around single family offices.
More than half of the direct investments were allocated to professional services, infocommunications, and financial services sub-sectors, Gan said, providing a window into where applicants’ business-linked commitments concentrated.
That “more than half” figure points to a clustering of activity in services-oriented segments, rather than suggesting the investments were evenly distributed across the economy.
Gan’s reply also set out how applicants split across the three routes, offering a second indicator of preference beyond the total dollar amounts.
Approximately 50% of applicants used Option A, 40% used Option B, and 10% used Option C, Gan said.
Option A requires a minimum S$10 million in a business, while Option B requires a minimum S$25 million in a fund, according to the figures shared in parliament.
Option C, the family office route, involves a single family office with S$200 million AUM, deploying at least S$50 million in specified investments.
Taken together, the distribution suggests the bulk of applicants chose either to invest directly into a Singapore-based business or to place capital with approved funds, with a smaller share pursuing PR through the family office structure.
The three options differ in how applicants connect their capital to Singapore, and in how that capital is expected to flow into the local economy.
Under Option A, investors put money into new or existing Singapore-based businesses, aligning the PR pathway with operating companies and the performance and activities associated with them.
Option B channels money into GIP-select funds that target Singapore-based companies, tying the route to fund activity rather than the direct operation of a specific business by the applicant.
Option C uses a single family office structure anchored by S$200 million AUM and a requirement to deploy at least S$50 million in specified investments, linking the route to wealth management structures and local investment deployment.
Gan’s disclosure of sector concentration applied to direct business investments, where professional services, infocommunications, and financial services sub-sectors took more than half of the allocation.
The option split also offers a way to interpret how investors weigh hands-on operating activity against fund-based exposure, while remaining within the programme’s defined routes.
The Global Investor Programme thresholds function as entry points, with applicants meeting minimum dollar levels under each option while also going through assessment tied to the programme’s objectives.
Option A’s minimum is S$10 million in a business, reflecting the programme’s emphasis on anchoring business activity through Singapore-based companies.
Option B’s minimum is S$25 million in a fund, setting a higher figure for participation via GIP-select funds that target Singapore-based companies.
Option C requires a single family office with S$200 million AUM and the deployment of at least S$50 million in specified investments, combining an asset base with a minimum deployment requirement.
Applicants and advisers often focus on the thresholds because they define which route is available, but the programme also links PR status to meeting economic and residency commitments after approval.
Approval typically takes six months, and successful applicants receive immediate PR, according to the information shared about the programme.
That PR comes with a minimal one-day-per-year physical presence requirement, a detail that can matter for globally mobile investors managing time across multiple jurisdictions.
The pathway from PR to citizenship is also framed in time-based terms, with citizenship eligibility following after two years of residency, according to the programme description.
Singapore’s citizenship rules also include a requirement to renounce original nationality, creating a trade-off that can shape how GIP applicants think about longer-term plans beyond PR.
GIP PRs must meet economic and residency commitments, and the programme includes mechanisms to verify that those commitments are met, the information provided in parliament showed.
Verification includes company evidence and EDB visits, tying ongoing PR-related obligations to documentation and on-the-ground checks.
EDB, which administers the programme, framed it as supporting the local startup and financial ecosystems in comments made post-parliament.
EDB also said the programme undergoes regular reviews, positioning the GIP as a managed pathway rather than a static one.
In its post-parliament remarks, EDB said there have been no major investor profile changes since 2023 updates aimed at boosting local opportunities.
For investors and intermediaries tracking the Global Investor Programme, the 2015–2025 figures offer a consolidated view of outcomes across a decade-long window, with around 450 PRs approved and about S$930 million linked to the programme’s investment routes.
The breakdown between about S$500 million in direct business investments and S$430 million in GIP-select funds also frames how capital linked to the PR pathway flowed into Singapore-based businesses and fund structures targeting local companies.
The applicant distribution by option adds another layer to that picture, with approximately 50% choosing Option A, 40% choosing Option B, and 10% choosing Option C, while the sector concentration data shows more than half of direct investments went into professional services, infocommunications, and financial services.
Gan’s parliamentary disclosure came as Singapore continues to present the GIP as an investor-linked PR pathway tied to business or fund activity and commitments, with approval typically taking six months and PR status carrying a minimal one-day-per-year physical presence requirement, alongside the longer-term citizenship condition that applicants must renounce original nationality.
450 Gain Prs Under Global Investor Programme as S$930m Flows in
Singapore’s Global Investor Programme approved 450 permanent residents from 2015 to 2025, attracting S$930 million in capital. Data shows 50% of investors chose direct business paths, focusing on professional and financial services. The scheme remains a key tool for anchoring global talent and capital, requiring substantial financial commitments and periodic verification by the Economic Development Board to ensure local economic impact.
