Wise says your commute is smart, so your FX should be too

Wise has launched its first out-of-home (OOH) campaign in Singapore, targeting cross-border commuters on the Singapore Dollar (SGD) to Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) money transfer route, with media placements concentrated around key transit points used by Causeway travellers.

The campaign targets Malaysians working in Singapore who regularly send money home, as well as Singaporeans supporting family in Malaysia, a group Wise describes as highly digitally savvy and constantly optimising exchange rates when converting currency.

“We kept coming back to one observation: for Malaysians working in Singapore, timing their currency conversion is practically a sport,” said Daniel Lim, senior regional growth marketing manager at Wise when MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out. 

“They are resourceful and digitally savvy, crossing a border daily in pursuit of a better livelihood, and always looking out for the best exchange rate to stretch their dollar. Yet many are still losing money to bank markups without realising it," he added.

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The campaign is anchored by the insight that the ‘Causeway Commuter’ is already smart, and that they deserve a smarter way to send money home, explained Lim. 

The campaign runs from mid-April to early July and spans bus stops and MRT stations across Singapore, with a strong focus on Woodlands, Kranji, Boon Lay and Jurong East. These locations were chosen for their proximity to the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, the two main land crossings into Malaysia.

OOH executions include bulkhead panels, platform screen door ads, fare gate branding, in-train panels, and window sticker placements across the East-West and North-South MRT lines. The campaign also extends to full bus wraps and in-bus ads on services 160, 170 and 950, which operate along the Causeway route.

Wise said the placement strategy is designed to meet commuters at the exact moment of cross-border travel between Singapore and Malaysia.

The campaign creative was developed in-house by Wise’s marketing and creative teams, with media buying handled by StellarAce and MooveMedia.

“The Causeway is a representation of ambition. Hundreds of thousands of Malaysians make that crossing every day, and at Wise, we believe they shouldn't have to give any of that hard-earned money away to hidden fees and bad exchange rates," he said.

"This campaign is our way of saying: you're smart for making the commute. Now let Wise make your money work just as hard.”

Wise previously took aim at hidden foreign exchange fees through experiential marketing in a November 2025 activation. The "Chopped carrot head stall” pop-up at Funan Mall, conceptualised by Sweatshop with Flash Concepts and IN.FOM, tapped into the Singlish phrase for being “ripped off” to highlight how consumers lose money to opaque FX mark-ups.

The pop-up featured interactive games and challenges designed to help visitors identify “sneaky markups” and better understand the real cost of overseas transfers, reinforcing Wise’s broader push against hidden banking fees. 

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