SINGAPORE, Jan. 23, 2026 -- Singapore continues to attract a rising wave of foreign-owned SMEs seeking to expand across ASEAN and global markets. While incorporating a company locally is fast, becoming financially operational is often not. Traditional banks require lengthy reviews and extensive documentation, delaying a company's ability to receive funds, pay suppliers, and start trading internationally.
To resolve this bottleneck, Payoneer partnered with One Tax CM to offer newly incorporated companies a seamless pathway from registration to cross-border readiness. One Tax CM provides the compliance foundation, and Payoneer delivers a multi-currency account purpose-built for global operations. Through this collaboration, SMEs can activate their business accounts within days, gain immediate access to key currencies, and begin operating across regional and international markets without friction. This success story explores how the partnership supports born-global SMEs and reinforces Singapore's position as the region's preferred hub for international growth.
For SMEs expanding internationally, setting up a regional structure is no longer just about incorporation—it is about designing an entity framework that supports growth, compliance, and operational efficiency from day one.
As a Singapore-based corporate service provider, One Tax CM works with foreign-owned and newly established businesses to help them structure their Singapore entities as part of a broader regional or global footprint. This typically involves advising founders on governance requirements, statutory compliance, and the practical realities of operating a Singapore entity alongside overseas subsidiaries, operating units, or trading entities.
Many of the SMEs One Tax CM supports operate across digital services, e-commerce, B2B services, and regional trading—businesses that need to transact across borders immediately after set-up. Beyond registering a company, One Tax CM helps founders put in place the compliance and corporate governance foundations required to operate confidently within Singapore's trusted business environment, while remaining flexible enough to support expansion across ASEAN and beyond.
Singapore remains a natural launchpad for internationally minded SMEs. As a regional HQ hub and gateway into ASEAN's USD 3.3 trillion economy, the country offers a stable, trusted business jurisdiction with strong connectivity to global markets.
Yet, despite the ease of incorporation, many foreign-owned SMEs still face a persistent friction point: traditional business banking often does not move at the pace modern SMEs require. Companies can encounter slow business account approval, difficulty opening multi-currency accounts, fragmented financial infrastructure, and cash flow delays that constrain early growth.
This bottleneck matters because the earliest stage of an SME's lifecycle is often the most time-sensitive—when founders need to start receiving customer payments, paying suppliers, and proving traction quickly. Without fast access to financial infrastructure, revenue generation can stall and business momentum slows just when speed matters most.
Foreign-owned SMEs entering Singapore must operate across borders from day one, yet they lack immediate access to:
- Multi-currency accounts
- Fast settlement channels
- Cross-border payment capabilities
- Straightforward FX management
Without this infrastructure, even a fully incorporated company remains functionally "inactive". To bridge the gap between incorporation and operational readiness, One Tax CM selected Payoneer as its preferred financial partner, enabling immediate global operability for incorporation-stage SMEs.
Payoneer provides fast onboarding suited to global SMEs, multi-currency account capabilities (including USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, SGD, HKD, JPY and more), and cross-border payments to more than 190 countries and territories. With competitive FX, low friction payment flows, and a strong operational presence across APAC, Payoneer supports SMEs as they begin receiving international payments, paying overseas suppliers, and managing cross-border operations through one unified platform.
As a regulated Major Payment Institution under the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Payoneer also offers foreign founders the assurance of a platform designed with strong governance and compliance—an essential factor for businesses building cross-border operations from Singapore.
The partnership between One Tax CM and Payoneer is designed to help SMEs move from incorporation to global operations without delay.
- Incorporation completed: One Tax CM handles entity setup and compliance requirements.
- Fastlane onboarding: Once incorporated, clients are referred to Payoneer and guided through onboarding and verification.
- Account activated: A multi-currency business account is opened quickly, enabling immediate use.
- Business becomes cross-border ready: SMEs can then:
- Receive international payments
- Pay suppliers globally
- Manage FX
- Withdraw locally
- Ongoing co-support: One Tax CM supports corporate governance while Payoneer supports financial operations.
Through this partnership, One Tax CM and Payoneer enable SMEs to operate internationally faster and with less friction—making Singapore not only a place to incorporate, but a place to activate global business operations immediately.
Rapid Activation of Global Operations
The ability to transact internationally within days is transformational for foreign-owned entities entering Singapore. By removing delays in accessing business-ready financial infrastructure, newly incorporated companies can begin receiving payments and paying overseas suppliers quickly while reducing operational downtime and helping them start trading sooner.
Immediate Multi-Currency Capability and Improved Cash Flow
Early cash flow is the lifeblood of young businesses. With Payoneer's multi-currency account capabilities, SMEs can receive funds in major currencies such as USD, EUR and GBP, and manage cross-border payments more efficiently. This reduces friction in receivables and payables, supports working capital stability, and helps businesses scale with greater confidence from the outset.
Seamless Cross-Border Expansion Across ASEAN and Worldwide
With Payoneer's ability to send and receive payments across 190+ countries and territories, SMEs incorporated through One Tax CM can operate across ASEAN supply chains and global markets without needing to set up multiple local bank accounts. Faster settlements and streamlined multi-currency operations give SMEs the liquidity and stability needed to enter new markets more quickly, building regional and global trade capability from Singapore.
The One Tax CM × Payoneer partnership strengthens Singapore's position as a true hub for international SMEs by reducing friction during the critical early stages of incorporation and financial activation. It supports the rise of born-global businesses—companies that need to be operational across borders immediately—and reinforces Singapore's ecosystem as one that enables both rapid start-up and rapid scale.
Looking ahead, One Tax CM and Payoneer plan to continue refining this integrated pathway, expand founder support, and deepen solutions that help SMEs operate globally with greater speed, efficiency, and confidence—ensuring that Singapore remains a strategic launchpad for cross-border growth in ASEAN and beyond.
Nagesh Devata, SVP, GTM APAC at Payoneer said "Singapore is one of the most important gateways for entrepreneurs building across ASEAN and beyond. Through our partnership with One Tax CM, we're helping newly incorporated SMEs become operational faster, access multi-currency capabilities from day one, and transact across borders with confidence — reinforcing Singapore's role as a true launchpad for global growth."
Lancaster Lee, Managing Director, One Tax CM said "Many of our clients come to Singapore with global ambitions, but they need to be able to transact immediately after incorporation. By partnering with Payoneer, we can offer an end-to-end pathway — from compliant set-up to fast, multi-currency financial readiness — so SMEs can start trading, pay suppliers, and expand internationally without unnecessary delays."
