Retirement is a time when you stop work and devote more of your time to hobbies and your loved ones.
The problem is that once you stop working, there will be no cash flowing into your bank account.
That’s why it’s important to invest in dividend-paying stocks that can generate a stream of passive income.
This flow of income can act as your retirement source of income, and you should look for dependable blue-chip stocks that can deliver this income consistently.
Here are four Singapore blue-chip stocks that are perfect for building up your stream of retirement income.
OCBC Ltd (SGX: O39)
OCBC is Singapore’s second-largest bank by market capitalisation.
The lender offers a comprehensive range of banking, investment, and insurance services for its customers.
Being one of the big three local banks also means investors enjoy peace of mind when investing in OCBC’s shares.
OCBC reported a mixed set of earnings for the first quarter of 2025 (1Q 2025).
Total income inched up 1% year on year to S$3.66 billion, lifted by a 10% year-on-year growth in non-interest income.
Loans to customers rose 7% year on year to S$317.9 billion.
Operating profit, however, dipped by 2% year on year to S$2.2 billion because of higher expenses.
Net profit fell by 5% year on year to S$1.88 billion.
Despite the dip, OCBC maintained its 2025 financial targets and expects net interest margin (NIM) to be in the region of 2%, close to 1Q 2025’s NIM of 2.04%.
The bank also believes it can attain mid-single-digit loan growth for this year.
It intends to pay out 60% of its earnings as dividends over two years, and will combine this with share buybacks as part of its plan to return S$2.5 billion of excess capital to shareholders.
Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX: S68)
Singapore Exchange Limited, or SGX, is Singapore’s sole stock exchange operator.
The group enjoys a natural monopoly by being the only bourse operator in Singapore, and is in an enviable position of paying out dividends every year since its listing in 2000.
SGX reported a sparkling set of earnings for the first half of fiscal 2025 (1H FY2025) ending 31 December 2024.
Net revenue climbed 15.6% year on year to S$646.4 million.
Net profit excluding one-off items shot up 27.3% year on year to S$320.1 million.
The group raised its quarterly dividend from S$0.085 to S$0.09, taking its annualised dividend per share to S$0.36.
There could be more to come for SGX as it enjoys higher trading volumes across its derivatives shelf and over-the-counter forex platform.
The bourse also saw its second upcoming mainboard listing this year of NTT DC REIT, showcasing growing interest in companies listing in Singapore.
Management provided an optimistic outlook and is confident of achieving its revenue growth target of 6% to 8% in the medium term.
SGX intends to increase its dividend per share by mid-single-digit percentage per year, in line with the growth of its top and bottom lines.
Frasers Centrepoint Trust (SGX: J69U)
Frasers Centrepoint Trust, or FCT, is a retail REIT with a portfolio of nine retail malls and an office building.
FCT’s portfolio was valued at approximately S$7.1 billion as of 31 March 2025.
The REIT’s portfolio of suburban retail malls serves heartlanders in HDB estates, thus providing it with the resilience to continue enjoying footfall even through tough times.
These heartlanders will patronise these malls for essential purchases and also for buying food and beverages.
For the first half of fiscal 2025 (1H FY2025) ending 31 March 2025, FCT’s gross revenue rose 7.1% year on year to S$184.4 million.
Net property income (NPI) increased by 7.3% year on year to S$133.7 million.
The retail REIT’s distribution per unit (DPU) inched up 0.5% year on year to S$0.06054.
FCT boasts a very high retail portfolio occupancy of 99.5%.
Its portfolio also enjoyed positive rental reversion of 9% for 1H FY2025, a signal that its properties are seeing strong demand from tenants.
Business and footfall are also brisk, with shopper traffic increasing 1% year on year and tenant sales rising 3.3% year on year.
After concluding the asset enhancement initiative (AEI) for Tampines 1 Mall, the REIT is moving on to its next AEI for Hougang Mall.
The phased AEI commenced in April this year and will be completed by 3Q 2026, with a target of 7% return on investment.
Keppel DC REIT (SGX: AJBU)
Keppel DC REIT is a data centre REIT with a portfolio of 24 data centres across 10 countries.
The REIT’s properties are valued at around S$4.9 billion as of 31 March 2025.
Keppel DC REIT is enjoying the long-term tailwinds from higher data usage arising from the proliferation of AI and rapid digitalisation.
As a result, its data centres should see strong demand in the future, which will contribute to high occupancy and positive rental reversion.
For 1Q 2025, gross revenue climbed 22.6% year on year to S$102.2 million while NPI improved by 24.1% year on year to S$88.1 million.
DPU increased by 14.2% year on year to S$0.02503.
The REIT’s portfolio occupancy stood high at 96.5% with aggregate leverage at just 30.2%, allowing sufficient debt headroom for the REIT to tap into debt for yield-accretive acquisitions.
Even without major contract renewals, Keppel DC REIT posted a positive rental reversion of 7% for the quarter.
The REIT will continue its drive to create more value and is undertaking an asset repositioning review to build a sturdy, future-proof portfolio.
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Disclosure: Royston Yang owns shares of Keppel DC REIT and Singapore Exchange Limited.
