The Social Security System (SSS) and Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) are expanding their public-private partnership to enhance financial inclusion and social protection through digital services. The partnership was announced at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025. Following the initial rollout of the MySSS Card powered by RCBC DiskarTech, the two institutions will introduce the SSS x RCBC Digital Micro Loan, which will be accessible via the DiskarTech app. This initiative allows SSS members to apply for microloans and receive funds directly in their DiskarTech account, representing a step forward in the government’s digital transformation efforts aimed at providing faster and…

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) and PalawanPay have announced a digital partnership during the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025. The collaboration will soon allow over 20 million PalawanPay users to open an RCBC DiskarTech basic deposit account directly via the PalawanPay app, advancing financial inclusion through a “Banking-as-a-Service” model. PalawanPay, an e-wallet platform supported by more than 5,000 Palawan Express Pera Padala branches nationwide, will act as an access point for underserved Filipinos to open a “PalaSave” basic deposit account through RCBC DiskarTech, the bank’s multilingual financial app available in Taglish and Cebuano. “Many Filipinos want to save, but traditional banking…

GoTyme Bank has announced a strategic partnership with Wise Platform, a global payment infrastructure provider, aiming to provide faster and more transparent international transfers and remittances for GoTyme’s over 7.8 million customers. The collaboration makes GoTyme Bank the first partner bank for Wise Platform in the Philippines and its first International Receive partner in the Asia Pacific region. It targets long-standing issues faced by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), such as high transfer fees, hidden charges, and slow processing times. According to research by Wise, Filipino consumers lost approximately US$170 million (PHP 9.74 billion) in 2024 due to hidden fees in…

OneLot, a financing platform for used car dealers in the Philippines, has raised US$3.3 million in a seed funding round. Accion Ventures and 468 Capital co-led the round. New and existing investors like Seedstars, Crestone Venture Capital, and Kaya Founders are also participating. The fresh capital will fund the expansion of affordable financing and digital tools for independent dealerships. OneLot targets the US$15 billion Philippine used car industry, a sector that family-owned businesses dominate. According to the company, nearly 90% of these dealers remain without reliable bank financing. OneLot provides secured inventory loans, using AI-driven underwriting combined with on-the-ground vehicle…

In Southeast Asia, regulators are tightening their oversight of financial services marketing, placing financial institutions under pressure to monitor agent behavior, mitigate misinformation, and maintain brand trust. A new paper by Meltwater, an online media, social and consumer intelligence company from Norway, looks at how regulators are cracking down on unethical behavior such as misleading advertising and high-pressure sales tactics, highlighting recent regulatory developments amid the surge of financial influencers (finfluencers). In Malaysia, Securities Commission (SC) released in March 2025 a revised version of its Guidelines on Advertising for Capital Market Products and Related Services, taking into account evolving global…

Billease, a Philippine consumer finance and “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) platform, is expanding its services into digital banking through a new partnership with the Rural Bank of Sta. Maria (RBSM). The collaboration was announced at an event in Manila on 9 November 2025. Founded in 2017, BillEase has served over 10 million users and has disbursed more than PHP 100 billion in loans. Through its partnership with RBSM, Billease plans to roll out new features, including digital savings accounts, fund transfers via InstaPay and PESONet, QR payments, and cash-in/out services, all integrated within the Billease app. The company aims…

The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corp. (HKSTP), a government-backed innovation hub, is targeting Filipino fintech startups, offering access to its regulatory sandbox and potential capital injections of up to US$2 million (PHP 117.8 million). Speaking at Hong Kong FinTech Week 2025, HKSTP Acting Chief Corporate Development Officer Eric Or positioned the hub as a “gateway” for companies looking to enter the Chinese market. “Anybody who’s interested in looking at China as a market, we, Science Park, are the best location, a gateway, a springboard, a platform,” Eric stated. He emphasised that all investments undergo a rigorous panel review…

Kredit Hero has partnered with Discovery Capital Finance Corporation (DCFC), a Philippine financing institution. The partnership was formalised on 5 November, with the goal of making business financing more accessible and efficient for Filipino entrepreneurs. The collaboration aims to provide SMEs with greater access to funding. Kredit Hero’s platform allows SMEs to submit a single loan application and get matched with multiple lenders. By adding DCFC to its network, Kredit Hero provides business owners with a wider range of financing options. DCFC has six offices located across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. “Partnering with DCFC adds more trusted lenders to our platform,…

The FinTech Alliance PH and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) have launched the #ReadyPH National Fund Drive as Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung-Wong) approaches the Philippines. The initiative aims to provide immediate support to communities that may be affected by the storm, emphasising proactive readiness over post-disaster relief. To jumpstart the #ReadyPH National Fund Drive, the FinTech Alliance PH has donated PHP 100,000. The organisations are now calling on partners, institutions, and the public to contribute to PDRF’s official bank accounts, which include peso and dollar accounts at BDO and BPI. Lito Villanueva, Founding Chairman of FinTech Alliance PH, highlighted…

GCash introduced a new product on 5 November 2025, called the GCash Virtual US Account. The feature enables Filipinos to receive US dollar payments and remittances directly into their GCash e-wallet. It does so by bypassing the need for a US-based bank account. GCash aims the service at Filipino freelancers, gig workers, and remittance recipients, who often face costly fees and delays in accessing their funds. The global payments network Meridian1 powers the GCash Virtual US Account. GCash designed it to reduce platform fees and foreign exchange costs. “With the GCash Virtual US Account, GCash users can hold US dollars…

UnionBank has partnered with IKEA to provide flexible payment options for its credit cardholders. The arrangement allows shoppers to use UnionBank PayEasy for 0% instalment plans on purchases at the furniture retailer. The 0% instalment plans are available for specific minimum spending amounts. UnionBank cardholders with a minimum spend of PHP 10,000 can avail of a 3-month instalment plan at 0%interest. For purchases of PHP 20,000 or more, a 6-month, 0% instalment option is available. “This partnership with IKEA is about giving our cardholders the ability to transform personal spaces… all while enjoying the ease and flexibility of UnionBank PayEasy,”…

GCash, through its in-app platform GInsure, has partnered with the Bank of the Philippine Islands’ BPI MS Insurance to launch PasaHERO Protect, an accident insurance plan aimed at Filipino commuters. The policy provides coverage for accidents occurring on all forms of public transport in the Philippines, including jeepneys, buses, trains, and ride-hailing services (TNVS). Available on the GCash app, PasaHERO Protect provides coverage of up to PHP 500,000 for death or permanent disability resulting from an accident on public transport. It also offers up to PHP 250,000 coverage for other types of accidents. The plan, which starts at PHP 15…

Coins.ph has announced a partnership with global remittance provider BCRemit. The collaboration, which began back on 1 November 2025, aims to provide faster and more affordable money transfers for overseas Filipinos in the UK, EU, US, and Canada. The service uses a stablecoin-powered payment corridor. First, a sender initiates a transfer via BCRemit. BCRemit then converts their currency, such as Euros or Pounds, into a stablecoin like USDC or USDT. The platform sends this stablecoin via a blockchain to Coins.ph in the Philippines, which instantly converts it back into Philippine Pesos and deposits the funds into the recipient’s account. This…

Manila-based PAYS0 and Hong Kong-based LianLian Global have entered a partnership to streamline cross-border money transfers for overseas Filipinos (OFW) and offer a cheaper remittance option. The agreement, signed during Hong Kong FinTech Week 2025 on 3 November, aims to address common challenges in traditional remittance channels, such as high fees, slow processing times, and fraud risks. The collaboration will combine LianLian’s global payment network with PAYS0’s domestic capabilities. Remittances are a key part of the Philippine economy, reaching a record US$38.3 billion in 2024, which represented 8.3% of the country’s GDP. PAYS0, which holds an e-money issuer (EMI) licence…

Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc. (Sun Life Philippines) has launched Sun Life EasyLink Protect, a new investment-linked life policy that features a simplified application process. The insurer stated the product offers guaranteed acceptance and does not require lengthy applications or medical examinations. The plan provides life insurance protection up to age 100, with coverage equal to at least five times the annual premium. As an investment-linked product, it also gives policyholders access to a selection of local and global investment funds to grow their fund value, catering to various risk appetites. Customers can pay for the plan annually, semi-annually,…

GCash has introduced a new feature, PocketPay, aimed at helping micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) accept digital payments. The solution allows business owners to turn their Android smartphones into payment terminals for credit and debit cards. Integrated into the GCash for Business application, PocketPay uses the phone’s built-in near-field communication (NFC) or “tap on phone” technology. This function removes the need for a separate, often costly, point-of-sale (POS) machine. Customers can complete a transaction by simply tapping their card on the merchant’s phone. Jong Layug, B2B General Manager at GCash Operator Mynt, said the tool is designed for the…

The Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a public warning against 28 Facebook pages that are posing as legitimate lending companies to operate advance-fee loan scams. According to the SEC, these unlicensed entities lure borrowers into paying advance fees or deposits, often promising to include this payment in the loan proceeds. However, the scammers never release the loan. In some cases, the scammers claim they sent the money to the wrong account and demand a “penalty” before they will process the supposed loan. To appear legitimate, the fraudulent operators present falsified documents claiming registration with the SEC, the…

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is proposing tougher penalties for payment system operators that fail to meet regulatory reporting standards, aiming to improve the data it uses to monitor the country’s payment services. The central bank is currently seeking industry feedback on a draft circular that would amend reporting rules for banks, e-wallet providers, and payment gateways. Stakeholders have until 21 November to submit comments. The BSP uses this data to assess the reach and effectiveness of the products and services that payment providers offer. Under the proposed rules, any report that fails to meet BSP standards would be…

GCash has launched a joint holiday promotion with Philippine Airlines (PAL) in the United States, aiming to increase its subscriber base in the country by approximately 100,000. The company announced the GCash Your Way Home raffle promo at an event in Los Angeles back on 31 October. “We hope to jack up the number of our users here in the US by at least 100,000,” said Joanne Rivera, GCash North America Business Development Head. The raffle is open to all active GCash users in the US with a +1 area code mobile number. Customers who use GCash services between 1 October…

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is pushing to exempt more corporations from the mandatory submission of audited financial statements (AFS), a move aimed at reducing compliance costs for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). In a policy paper submitted to the Department of Finance (DOF) on 28 October, the SEC recommended raising the threshold for mandatory audits. Currently, corporations with total assets or liabilities of at least PHP 600,000 must submit an AFS. The new proposal would raise this threshold to PHP 3 million. If approved, corporations with total assets or liabilities not exceeding PHP 3 million would instead…