New Card: CIMB Founders Card Empowers SMEs Owners With Up To 114 Days of 0% Interest, Instant Cash, and Zero FX Fees!

Starting and growing a business has to be one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had so far in my life. While the rewards and spoils of successful entrepreneurship can be incredibly satisfying, business owners also face a multitude of challenges and difficulties.

Even as a co-owner of a small, relatively simple tuition business, I have had my fair share of trials and tribulations, so I can only imagine what other small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face. This is why when I learnt about CIMB Founders Card, I thought it was a good idea to feature this card as it may come in very useful for quite a few business owners and their businesses.

Many SMEs struggle with cashflow

Many businesses struggle with cashflow and find themselves constantly juggling between paying suppliers, covering salaries, and waiting for customer payments to come in. Once, my business partners and I had to go on a pay freeze, even injecting new funds into the business so we could tide over a couple of months of cashflow issues.

At that point, we were a growing business, but were almost done in by a mixture of cashflow problems and an unprecedented global crisis in the form of COVID-19. Fun fact: did you know that tuition centres were one of the first businesses to close before Circuit Breaker?

Up to 113 days of 0% interest on retail transactions

CIMB Founders Card can provide relief to businesses with as many as 113 days of 0% interest on retail transactions.

When the global pandemic first hit, our business had to scale up our IT infrastructure quickly. CIMB Founders Card would have been useful for someone in my shoes back then, giving an interest-free period of around 3 months for the iPads and online conferencing subscriptions my tuition business needed.

Retail transactions charged to the card will be posted 60 days later, and once transactions are reflected in the statement, there is a 23-day interest-free period (similar to other CIMB credit cards) before the payment due date.

Depending on when the transaction is posted and the statement cycle date, the interest-free period could be between around 83 days or so to a maximum of 113 days.

Instant access to cash with 1% processing fee

Even without making retail purchases, CIMB Founders cardholders can access cash through the Working Capital Loan feature. Upon approval, cardholders can get cash instantly, though there is a 1% processing fee (EIR up to 4.47% p.a.) that is charged upfront. The fee aside, these funds will also have up to 114 days of 0% interest and have to be repaid 3 statement months from the approval date.

For instance, a disbursement amount of S$30,000 would incur a 1% processing fee of S$300 deducted upfront, with S$29,700 of cash disbursed. It would be repayable 3 statement cycles from the approval date, giving cardholders a period of around 82 days to a maximum of 114 days to make repayment without incurring interest.

This would have provided quite a bit of breathing space for our business back then, delaying our expenditure by around 3 months. This would have given us the time for customers to pay their fees and for government aid to be disbursed.

Here’s a comparison what it would have cost us to get working capital from CIMB Founders Card versus an SME Term Loan from a bank that charges 7% p.a. interest:

Description	CIMB Founders Card Working Capital	Bank A SME Term Loan
Loan 1 amount	S$40,000	S$60,000
Loan 2 amount	S$20,000	–
Annual card service fee	S$338	S$0
Processing fee	1% (EIR up to 4.47% p.a.)	0%
Interest payable	0% up to 114 days	7% p.a.
Total processing fee paid	S$600	S$0
Total interest paid (based on 114 days)	S$0	S$1,311
Total paid	S$938	S$1,311
Savings when you use CIMB Founders Card	N.A.	S$373

Zero foreign currency (FCY) transaction fees on all overseas spend

For businesses that spend on foreign currency transactions, CIMB Founders Card is even more compelling as it has zero foreign currency transaction fees, unlike many credit cards that still charge more than 3% forex fees. Such transactions enjoy the same interest-free period as local transactions, improving cashflow for businesses that need to make overseas expenditure.

Other perks and benefits

CIMB Founders Card also provides a host of benefits, ranging from business-centric ones to lifestyle and travel perks. There are quite a few discounts for business services that support business operations, and even business owners need a little bit of rest and recreation every now and then.

Category	Benefit
Business	Discounted business services (e.g. DocuSign, Google Workspace etc.) Discounted access to co-working spaces (at Spaces, Regus, and HQ Global Workspaces)   FlexiRoam Global Data Roaming Complimentary e-commerce protection Complimentary mobile phone protection Mastercard ID Theft Protection™
Travel	Complimentary access to airport lounges (3 free visits per year through Mastercard Travel Pass) Complimentary travel insurance up to S$1 million coverage
Lifestyle	Get 50% off green fees at 42 prestigious gold courses across Southeast Asia One-night free luxury hotel stay (with minimum required nights) One Dines Free (with minimum 2 to 6 pax per booking)

Tap here to see full list of benefits and terms and conditions.

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Conclusion

As I’ve learnt through my years of co-running an SME, entrepreneurship can be fraught with many challenges, both financial and non-financial ones. No credit card would have been able to resolve all of the disagreements I’ve had with my partners or restore the lost sleep we’ve had to endure building the business, but CIMB Founders Card could have helped out with some of the cashflow issues we faced, and that alone could have dramatically lessened the stresses we faced as a fledgling business. Tap here to apply for the card today.

Terms & conditions apply.

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Seth Wee was a licensed financial adviser representative from 2009 to 2025, with over 16 years of experience in Singapore’s financial advisory industry.

He started Sethisfy.com in 2019 to share practical insights on credit cards, banking products, and miles strategies, helping readers identify financial products that deliver the best value. Seth has been featured in CNA, Channel 8, Today, and a host of other publications. In 2025, he was also part of a panel at CPF’s Ready For Life festival.

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