Expanding overseas is one of the biggest growth moves a Singapore SME can make, and in 2026 the government made it more affordable. Here is how the MRA grant works.
Note on accuracy: grant support levels and caps change (and MRA is set to fold into the new EDGE grant). The figures below reflect what has been announced for 2026 — confirm the current position on the Business Grants Portal before applying.
What is the MRA grant?
Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) is EnterpriseSG’s grant for taking your business into new overseas markets. It supports the costs of getting established in a market you have not operated in before — market set-up, promotion, and business development.
What it funds
- Market set-up — the groundwork of entering a new market.
- Business development — finding and developing partners and customers overseas.
- Market promotion — marketing and awareness in the target market.
Support is capped per new market, with sub-caps across these categories.
The 2026 change: higher support
Budget 2026 raised the co-funding level for internationalisation, making overseas expansion meaningfully cheaper for SMEs than before. If you were holding off on a market-entry project on cost grounds, the maths has improved — confirm the current support level and caps before you plan.
The MRA rewards genuine new-market entry, not general marketing. The clearer and more specific your expansion plan, the stronger the application.
How it fits with the other grants
MRA often comes after the core business is ready to scale. Many SMEs use the EDG to build the strategy and capability first, then MRA to fund the overseas push. Note that MRA is one of the schemes being consolidated into the new EDGE grant, so check whether to apply now or under EDGE. See how the schemes compare in our 2026 grants map.
The short version
The MRA grant funds new-overseas-market entry — set-up, business development and promotion — capped per market, with a higher 2026 co-funding level. It usually follows capability-building under the EDG, and is being folded into the EDGE grant, so confirm timing and current figures on the Business Grants Portal.
