In this guide · 8 sections
- 01Who needs Google's financial services verification in Singapore
- 02What counts as proof: MAS and MinLaw registers
- 03The verification process step by step
- 04Approved third parties, agencies and non-financial advertisers
- 05Plan your campaign launch around verification
- 06Common reasons applications stall
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
You need it if you show financial services ads in Singapore or target Singapore users seeking financial services. Most advertisers first get a code from Google's vendor G2RS proving a MAS licence, a MinLaw moneylender or dealer listing, or an exemption, then submit that code to Google.
Who needs Google's financial services verification in Singapore
Google's Financial Services Verification policy says that from 30 August 2022, to show financial services ads in Singapore, including ads to Singapore users who appear to be seeking financial services, advertisers must be verified by Google. They must show they are licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), are on the Ministry of Law's List of Licensed Moneylenders or List of Registered Dealers, or are exempt.
Google groups advertisers into five types, each with its own route:
| Advertiser type | Examples | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Authorised advertiser | Banks, insurers, brokers, licensed payment firms, licensed moneylenders | G2RS check, then Google form |
| Approved third party | Resellers, affiliates, lead-generation agencies for a licensed firm | Licensed firm vouches for you to Google |
| Non-financial services advertiser | Car dealers offering financing, travel agents selling travel insurance, e-commerce platforms | G2RS check, then Google form with your reason |
| Exempt financial services advertiser | Firms not required to be licensed by the regulator | G2RS confirms the exemption, then Google form |
| Government entity | Regulators with a .gov.sg domain | Exempt or verified directly by Google |
Google notes that the requirement also applies to categories of financial services that may not be regulated by these regulators, and that verification is required for all ad formats and assets.
What counts as proof: MAS and MinLaw registers
G2RS checks your business against the official registers. Before applying, look up your own entry and note exactly how your name, licence type and address appear.
- MAS-licensed firms: banks, insurers, capital markets services licensees, financial advisers and payment service providers appear in the MAS Financial Institutions Directory.
- Moneylenders: the Ministry of Law's List of Licensed Moneylenders, published by the Registry of Moneylenders.
- Precious stones and metals dealers: the Ministry of Law's List of Registered Dealers.
If you are a financial adviser representative or tied agent, the licence usually belongs to your principal firm. In that case you are likely an approved third party, and the licensed firm has to vouch for your domains. Our guide to financial adviser websites and MAS rules covers the content side.
The verification process step by step
For authorised advertisers, Google's Singapore page sets out three steps. Applications must come from an authorised representative, meaning an admin of the Google Ads account or of the payments profile, which can include an agency managing the account.
Apply to G2RS for third-party verification
Use the G2RS form linked from Google's policy page. Enter business details that exactly match your register entry. When G2RS confirms you, it issues a unique code.
Complete Google's advertiser verification
After applying to G2RS, Google emails you about its advertiser (identity) verification programme. Follow the email. If you've already completed advertiser verification, you don't repeat it.
Submit the G2RS code to Google
Enter the unique code in Google's Singapore financial services verification form linked from the policy page.
Wait for the certificate
If approved, Google applies a certificate to your Google Ads account and emails you. Only then can financial services ads serve to Singapore users.
Watch for renewal notices
Google says you may need to renew periodically, or re-verify after significant account changes such as a new payments profile. You'll get an in-account notice.
Advertiser identity verification is a separate Google requirement for all advertisers; our guide to Google Ads advertiser verification in Singapore covers the documents it asks for.
Approved third parties, agencies and non-financial advertisers
Not everyone goes through G2RS.
- Approved third parties (resellers, affiliates, lead-gen agencies): the Singapore-authorised firm, once verified itself, submits a Google form listing your domains and warrants that it approves your financial promotions. It must resubmit when adding or removing third parties and tell Google immediately when it stops approving one.
- Non-financial advertisers with a reason to target finance searches (for example a car dealer promoting financing): apply through G2RS, then give Google your Customer ID, business details, domains, a short reason for targeting finance keywords, and a warranty that you won't use the exemption to promote financial services.
- Exempt financial services advertisers: apply to G2RS, which decides whether you are exempt and issues a code if so.
Google also lists limited eligibility for claims management services such as scam redress: these may only be advertised by licensed providers, government bodies, non-profits or legal service providers, or those acting for them.
Plan your campaign launch around verification
Google doesn't publish a fixed turnaround for G2RS or its own review, so build verification into the plan rather than starting it the week of launch.
Before you launch financial services ads
Separately from verification, Google's Financial products and services policy requires disclosures such as the business's physical address and all associated fees, visible without hovering or clicking, and only allows personal loan ads where repayment in full is 61 days or longer. Singapore's own advertising rules for your sector apply on top.
Common reasons applications stall
Most problems are administrative rather than about eligibility.
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Name or address differs from the register | Re-apply using the exact register details |
| Applicant isn't an account or payments admin | Have an admin submit, or give the right person admin access |
| Representative applied instead of the licensed firm | Ask the principal firm to vouch for you as an approved third party |
| Ads running before the certificate arrives | Pause finance ads; they won't serve to Singapore users until verified |
| Payments profile changed after verification | Expect a re-verification request; respond to the in-account notice |
Do it yourself or get help?
If you are the licensed firm and an admin on the account, the application is mostly forms and matching your register details. The time goes into waiting, so start early.
Our Google Ads Setup (S$690) builds the Google Ads account in your name, links Google Analytics 4, sets up conversion tracking, and builds a Search campaign with keyword research, negative keywords and ad copy, with a launch checklist and a 2-week check-in report. You submit the G2RS and Google verification as the licensed business, and we plan the launch around it. IT Sorted is a Singapore-based team of developers with over 10 years of experience; you pay upfront online and brief us in writing. Your ad budget is paid by you, straight to Google. This guide is general information, not legal or regulatory advice.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, if your ads promote financial services to Singapore users or target Singapore users who appear to be seeking financial services. Google has required this since 30 August 2022 for all ad formats. It also covers some non-financial businesses that target finance searches, such as car dealers promoting financing or travel agents selling insurance.
G2RS is the third-party vendor Google uses to check that Singapore financial services advertisers are authorised by the relevant regulator, or exempt. You apply to G2RS first using the form on Google's policy page. If successful, G2RS gives you a unique code, which you then submit to Google in its Singapore financial services verification form.
Usually as an approved third party. The licence typically sits with the principal firm, so the licensed firm, once verified, submits a Google form listing the domains you use and warranting that it approves your financial promotions. You don't go through G2RS yourself in that case. Check your arrangement with your principal firm.
Google doesn't publish a fixed timeframe for the G2RS check or its own review. Plan for it before your launch date: complete advertiser identity verification, apply to G2RS with details that exactly match your register entry, and submit the code to Google. Ads will only serve to Singapore users once the certificate is on your account.
Google says applications must be submitted by an authorised representative, meaning an admin of the Google Ads account or of the payments profile. That can include an advertising agency managing the account. The details submitted must still be those of the licensed business, matching the regulator's register exactly.