The two companies will explore making tokenized real-world assets, starting with gold, more accessible through an integrated digital experience.
Under the MOU, RCBC and PDAX will explore a connected customer experience.
This could let RCBC customers access PDAX’s regulated digital-asset platform directly through RCBC’s own digital channels.
Gold has long stood as one of the world’s most trusted stores of value.
But owning it physically comes with real friction: storage, authenticity verification, and limited accessibility for the average investor.
Tokenization aims to address each of these barriers.
The partnership will explore how customers could eventually access PDAX’s tokenized gold offering through a simpler, fully digital experience.
Lito Villanueva
“For many Filipinos, investment opportunities have traditionally felt complex or out of reach,” said Lito Villanueva, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer of RCBC.
He said exploratory partnerships like this let the bank look at how customers can more conveniently access innovative financial services through trusted, regulated partners, while keeping the banking experience simple.
Nichel Gaba, Founder and CEO of PDAX, said gold has long been a trusted source of value, but practical limitations around storage, authenticity, and accessibility remain.
Nichel Gaba
“A lot of these barriers from the traditional world are being solved today through tokenization,” he said.
He added that world-class financial products shouldn’t be reserved for a select few and should be within reach of every Filipino.
This MOU marks an exploratory collaboration only. Any resulting products, services, branding, customer availability, and launch timelines remain subject to further development, mutual agreement, and regulatory approval.
PDAX’s Track Record With Tokenized Assets
PDAX has been at the centre of the Philippines’ early tokenization efforts.
In 2023, it helped launch the country’s first tokenised treasury bonds alongside the Bureau of the Treasury, Land Bank, and the Development Bank of the Philippines, later distributing tokenized government bonds through GCash with a minimum investment of just PHP 500.
In November, PDAX published Project Bayani, a study estimating the Philippines’ tokenized-asset market could reach US$60 billion by 2030.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Philippines based on an image by Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation via Press Release.
