POSB Smart Buddy - Money made easy

By Jermaine Koh

If you’ve only got a minute:

• POSB Smart Buddy helps children build healthy money habits through everyday real-life use.
• Kids pay with a watch or card in school while parents can view transactions instantly.
• Parents can set spending limits, guide saving goals and stay involved without hovering.
• Children gain early exposure to budgeting and responsibility in a safe and supported environment.

Every parent wants to help his child grow into a confident and capable adult. Financial literacy is now a key part of that foundation. With digital payments becoming second nature, children need opportunities to understand saving, spending and making prudent money decisions. Yet it can be challenging to track allowance usage or explain budgeting in a way that feels relevant.

POSB Smart Buddy helps bridge that gap. By weaving money decisions into your child’s everyday school experiences, it gives them hands-on practice while giving you oversight. Parents can then share some of these insights or smart money tips with their child.   

POSB Smart Buddy - Your child's first step to money management  

POSB Smart Buddy is a cashless payment and financial learning tool that helps your child navigate money in a safe and practical way. Linked to a POSB account, your child can make purchases at participating school canteens and merchants using a card or a watch.  This helps them learn to manage a budget independently without carrying cash.

How it works: Simple for kids, powerful for parents

Once your child receives a Smart Buddy wearable or card, and it’s linked to your account, you can:

• Set daily spending limits
• Monitor transactions in real time
• Guide saving through goal setting
• View allowance balances anytime

Using it is intuitive for children and it offers you clear visibility, so they can practise managing money while you stay informed and in control.

Key benefits for parents: Taking the stress out of money management

Smart Buddy gives you a clear idea of your child's spending habits. Transactions appear instantly, removing guesswork and help you understand their money habits. You can immediately know if they are buying canteen food or buying stationery from the school bookshop. This makes it easier to guide them in a supportive and informed way.

Daily routines become learning opportunities:

• Budgeting becomes clearer: Your child can see their allowance balance change with each purchase.
• Saving goals feel achievable: You can encourage and help your child set and track their own savings goalss directly within the app. Whether it's for a new toy or a future experience, they can watch their savings grow, fostering a sense of accomplishment.
• Financial accountability: When they manage their own spending, your child experiences the real impact of their choices.

A cashless setup means no more lost cash or last-minute allowance top-ups. You can top up their funds remotely, adjust limits as needed and keep an eye on their spending anywhere and anytime.

Benefits for children: Learning and growing with Smart Buddy

Within the limits you set, your child gets to make his own purchasing decisions. This empowerment fosters a sense of responsibility as the children learn to manage their own "money" and understand the value/impact of their choices.

Complex or abstract financial concepts become real when your child can link his money decisions to visible outcomes. For example, they learn how spending affects their balances and how consistent saving brings them closer to their goals.

Smart Buddy keeps learning interactive and motivating with features like:

• Monitoring steps, heart rate and calories
• Visual trackers that show progress toward financial goals
• Rewards and achievements to reinforce good habits
• Daily activity tracking to build both healthy money and lifestyle habits

These features make the experience more engaging, combining financial learning with fun and healthy routines.

Getting started with POSB Smart Buddy: A simple guide

To begin, visit the POSB website to find out the list of participating schools, information and details on how to apply. The application and setup process is designed to be easy, so you can begin this valuable educational experience with your child without delay.

Conclusion:

POSB Smart Buddy offers a practical way to help your child build financial awareness from an early age. It pairs real-world experience with the guidance you provide through the app, allowing your child to learn through everyday choices while keeping within safe boundaries.

By making money management part of their routine, you’re equipping them with skills that will serve them well beyond their school years, supporting their confidence, independence and long-term financial readiness.

Give your child the head start he deserves with POSB Smart Buddy!

Ready to start?

Check out digibank to analyse your real-time financial health. The best part is, it’s fuss-free – we automatically work out your money flows and provide money tips.

Plan with POSB

Speak to the Wealth Planning Manager today for a financial health check and how you can better plan your finances.

Let's Meet