First Look At Mari Invest (Lion-MariBank SavePlus)

Mari Invest is an account by Maribank that offers access to investment products.

Announced on 22 September 2023, the first and only investment product available via Mari Invest is the Lion-MariBank SavePlus fund.

After logging into the MariBank app, I received the option to proceed with Mari Invest if I wanted to.

This article will take a closer look at the Lion-MariBank SavePlus fund which is the first product offered by Mari Invest.

Features of Mari Invest

Why use Mari Invest? The benefits of Mari Invest include:

• Withdraw cash anytime instantly
• No transaction fees
• Invest from as little as $1
• Higher projected returns (3.63%) vs. Mari Savings Account (2.88% until 31 Dec)

Summary: Lion-MariBank SavePlus

Within the MariBank mobile app, Mari Invest states that it aims to provide higher projected returns compared to SGD fixed deposits and greater flexibility in managing cash.

From the naming of the fund, it looks like it is co-branded by Lion Global Investors and MariBank.

Below are the fund details of Lion-MariBank SavePlus.

You can view the prospectus, factsheet and annual reports at the Lion-MariBank SavePlus fund’s official page.

Investment Objective of Lion-MariBank SavePlus

The Fund seeks to provide enhanced yield over Singapore Dollar deposits and safety of capital while keeping overall portfolio risk low and maintaining a high level of liquidity.

The Fund will invest in an actively managed and broadly diversified portfolio of debt instruments, short-term money market instruments, and other collective investment schemes.

Fund Allocation and Top Holdings

The current allocation of Lion-MariBank SavePlus can be seen below.

I wasn’t sure what MAS BILL (SER 84) ZCP 04/08/2023 was referring to, so I asked AI for the answer.

I was told that MAS BILL (SER 84) ZCP 04/08/2023 is a Singapore Government Treasury Bill (T-Bill) issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). It is a zero-coupon bond, which means that it does not pay any interest during its term. Instead, investors buy the T-Bill at a discount to its face value and receive the full face value when the T-Bill matures. MAS Bills are one of the safest investments available, as the full faith and credit of the Singapore government backs them.

Is There Potential For Loss Of Capital?

If we were to look at the fund’s historical pricing from its inception date till now, there were a total of only 3 days where the fund experienced a loss.

• 06 July 2023 (-$0.0001)
• 25 July 2023 (-$0.0001)
• 18 August 2023 (-$0.0001)

Otherwise, daily price changes range from $0.0000 to $0.0003 which is fairly muted.

In my opinion, this is a good thing for a cash management account. All I want is steady gains and nothing fanciful.

The relative stability of the fund price anchored by MAS bills appears to indicate that Mari Invest is a somewhat suitable option for parking idle funds.

Comparison Against Cash Management Funds

There are various cash management accounts to help us get better returns from idle cash including –

• Syfe Cash+ Flexi
• Syfe Cash+ Guaranteed
• Endowus Cash Smart (Secure)
• Stashaway Simple

They employ a variety of different underlying funds to achieve the desired rate of returns for investors.

You can read my article to understand the difference between Cash Funds (such as Fullerton SGD Cash Fund), Money Market Funds and Short Duration Bond Funds.

This handy little table illustrates the difference between them and helps us understand risk vs. reward.

Ending Thoughts

To be honest, it was rather surprising that MariBank chose to follow up with an investment account as its first product.

With Mari Invest, MariBank appears to be competing against cash management solutions provided by robo-advisors, and its competitive advantage is the seamless investment that can be done directly within the MariBank mobile app.

Lion-MariBank SavePlus is only the first fund that we can currently purchase directly within the Maribank app.

We will no doubt see more of such options become available in the future.

Will I put any money into Mari Invest? I don’t see any compelling reason to do so right now.

My idle funds are already parked mostly with either Fullerton SGD Cash Fund (3.6 to 4%), which you can invest with Webull or Singapore Savings Bonds (3%).

Meanwhile, don’t miss out on a free Shopee voucher when you sign up with MariBank.

MariBank Referral Code – TURTLE10

MariBank reached out to share that they have launched a brand new referral program that is valid until 31 December 2023.

When you sign up for a Mari Savings Account (check out my review), you can apply the MariBank referral code TURTLE10 to get a $10 Shopee voucher with no minimum spend required.

Here’s what you need to take note so that the $10 Shopee voucher can be credited:

• Link your MariBank account to your Shopee account.
• Input the correct code TURTLE10 to qualify for the reward.
• The voucher will be credited within three working days of successful application.

I don’t get anything when you use this promo code, so the benefit is all yours!

Read more

Want higher returns on idle funds?
→ Learn more in my Fullerton SGD Cash Fund Review

Looking for a capital-guaranteed product?
→ Check out Syfe Cash+ Guaranteed – Effortless 3.7% Returns

Which is the best digital bank in Singapore?
→ Is it Maribank, GXS or Trust?

Kevin

Kevin started Turtle Investor when his net worth languished at negative $25,755. His desire to turn things around led him to build passive income from investments and side hustles that pay for his daily expenses and vacations. You can learn more about Kevin here.