Fixing the hidden $50k cost in Singapore’s home loan market

This article is a part of Startup Spotlight, a series that features young, up-and-coming startups.

Photo credit: Cashew

Sebastian Sieber watched investing and payments shift from paper forms to phone apps during his tenure at Syfe. Mortgages remained stubbornly analog. He launched Cashew to digitize this final massive piece of personal finance.

😟 Problem

Mortgages account for 72% of all household debt in Singapore, with outstanding housing loans reaching roughly S$245 billion (US$193 billion) in early 2026. Yet many buyers blindly accept offers from their current banks due to complex borrowing limits and rules.

A half-point difference on a S$600,000 (US$472,000) loan over 25 years costs a borrower S$50,000 (US$39,400). Buyers lose this money because nobody explains the rules clearly during the application process.

💡 Solution

Cashew provides a digital mortgage platform that guides users from rate comparison to loan disbursement. Its large language models automate calculations and eligibility checks through a chat interface.

The platform offers several core features:

• Automated affordability, stamp duty, and refinancing calculators.
• 24/7 rate comparisons across major banks via WhatsApp and web.
• Display of average rates across the lock-in period rather than teaser rates.
• A dedicated toolkit called ACCESS for property agents to answer client financing questions.
• Direct access to human advisors for complex edge cases.

Image credit: Cashew

📊 Market size

Singapore generates roughly S$60 billion (US$47.2 billion) in new and refinanced home loans each year, equivalent to around 70,000 loans. Average loan sizes range from S$800,000 (US$630,000) to S$900,000 (US$709,000).

Existing bank packages typically reprice every two to three years, the company sees opportunities to serve borrowers repeatedly as they refinance.

🤝 Team

• Sebastian Sieber. Founder. He previously served as a founding executive at Syfe, helping grow the platform to more than US$10 billion in assets under management (AUM). He also worked as CEO of Lazada’s C2C business.
• Roshni Mahbubani. Growth manager. She brings eight years of experience building creative and go-to-market strategies across APAC, with previous roles at VCC Singapore and VML.

🚀 Traction

• Reached a S$1.06 billion (US$835 million) run rate in August 2026.
• Achieved this milestone 10 months after originating its first loan.
• Captured 1.7% of Singapore’s mortgage market.

🏆 Competition

💰 Financials

🚩 Risks