News Archive

After two successful sessions for Luzon banks in Pampanga and Tagaytay, MABS conducted a mobile phone banking accreditation training for Visayas and Mindanao banks on March 17 at the Sarrosa International Hotel and Residential Suites in Cebu City.

Twenty-two participants from 13 MABS participating banks attended the training.

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Philippine Star - Belgacom International Carrier Services (BICS), a leading global provider of voice, data and value added services and G-Xchange (GXI), the mobile-commerce subsidiary of Globe Telecommunications Inc., have signed an agreement to expand GXI’s existing number of remittance corridors, using BICS’ HomeSend Remittance Hub.

The HomeSend service, created in partnership with eServGlobal, provides a mobile-centric approach to international remittance. It allows subscribers of any mobile operator connected to HomeSend to transfer money electronically via a cellular phone to a GCASH subscriber.

This new cooperation, therefore, provides increased choice and convenience for Filipinos living or working overseas when sending money home to their families and friends in the Philippines. READ MORE

Philippine Star - The Philippines is recognized among the leaders in developing mobile banking for the unbanked. Mobile banking utilizes the mobile phone to extend banking services such as deposits, withdrawals including remittances or money transfer, bills payments, and loan payments.

Telecommunications companies (telcos), such as Smart Communications (Smart) and Globe Telecommunications (Globe), were one of the first worldwide to start mobile money. Smart started in 2001 through Smart Money, and Globe followed soon after in 2004 with GCash.

But one of the leaders in terms of reach and number of subscribers is M-PESA of Kenya. It has 8.6 millions active users or 25 percent of the country’s population, and monthly person-to-person transactions worth over $320 million with average of $37 per user per month.

The telcos have put up systems that cater to the average bank users to the poorer segment of society that do not have banking relationships often referred to as the unbanked, as well as the under-banked that undertake limited banking services. READ MORE

In continuing support to the mobile phone banking services (MPBS) of GCASH accredited rural banks, the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (MABS) Program supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with Globe Telecom’s mobile commerce subsidiary, G-Xchange Inc. (GXI), launched a Mobile Phone Banking Marketing Program this year.

Supported by Globe, this program is an incentive-based initiative intended for the microfinance merchant-clients of GCASH accredited rural banks to help support the more active promotion of mobile phone banking services by utilizing merchants to promote and assist clients in learning how to make use of mobile phone banking services. READ MORE

MABS successfully conducted the second of this year’s mobile phone banking accreditation trainings on March 3 in Tagaytay, Batangas. Twenty-nine participants from 18 Luzon-based rural banks, five of which are already accredited to offer mobile phone banking services (MPBS) via Globe’s GCASH platform, attended the training.

Through the training, qualified rural banks can obtain accreditation to offer GCASH and apply to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for authorization to offer MPBS. MABS provided the participants with a detailed workshop on the MPBS implementation process, mobile phone banking step-by-step procedures, and sets of MPBS manuals. Read more »

Guagua Rural Bank (GR Bank) officially joins the Philippine mobile phone banking community as it formalized its partnership with G-Xchange Inc. in utilizing the GCASH platform to facilitate its mobile phone banking services (MPBS).

Developed under the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines-Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) program, MPBS involves the use of mobile phones in performing bank transactions such as deposits, withdrawals, remittances and loan payments, among others.

Facilitated by the USAID-supported RBAP-MABS program, GR Bank signed a memorandum of agreement with G-XChange, Inc., Globe Telecom’s mobile commerce subsidiary, on February 18 during the Central Luzon Federation of Rural Bank Management Conference in Hotel Stotsenberg, Clarkfield, Angeles City, Pampanga.

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1st Valley Bank together with G-Xchange Inc. (GXI), the wholly-owned mobile commerce subsidiary of Globe Telecom, brings the benefits of mobile banking services to Filipinos in Mindanao.

Working closely with the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) and Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (MABS), a program supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 1st valley bank helps Mindanao by making banking products and services even more accessible to clients. Read more

The Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (MABS) Program supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) conducted a mobile phone banking accreditation training course at Montevista Villas, Clark Field, Angeles City on February 17.

Held in partnership with G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), Globe Telecom’s mobile commerce subsidiary, the training was attended by 21 participants from 10 Central Luzon rural banks. Read more »

The Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) projects a substantial increase in mobile phone banking services this year as G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI) plans to activate Globe Telecom’s nationwide sub distributer network of over 18,000 cash-in and cash-out outlets.

Combined with the mobile phone banking services developed by USAID-supported RBAP-MABS program, this will provide the rural banks with a virtual ATM network that more than doubles the current count of about 8,000. “We see this as an opportunity to leapfrog the rural banking sector’s outreach in the countryside and we are gearing up to accomplish this in 2010,” said RBAP President Joseph Omar Andaya. READ MORE

Philippine Star -- The magnitude of global mobile banking is forecast to hit $202 billion by 2012, and 60 percent of that will emanate from the Asia Pacific region.

Foreign consulting firm Edgar Dunn & Co. added that the Philippines, China, and India would be leading the way in the Asia Pacific region.

Lance Blockely, managing director of Edgar Dunn & Co. said that the Philippines is the global leader in mobile money transfer (MMT) and “the next few years will be a climate of explosive growth for mobile money transfers.”

By 2012, 364 million low-income, un-banked people could use mobile financial services. Likewise, the number of people without a bank account but with a mobile phone is estimated to grow from one to 1.7 billion.

This were some of the conclusion arrived at during the recently-concluded Mobile Money Transfer (MMT) Asia Pacific (APAC) conference in Manila, that brought in experts, providers and representatives of MMT practitioners from all over the world. Read the rest of the article on Philippine Star online.

WANT TO MAKE deposits into your bank account without actually dealing with a bank? How about paying bills, or cashing in the money your mother, father, brother or sister sent your from abroad by simply taking a few steps out of your front door?

These things, which used to be impossible unless you lived right in the center of the Makati Central Business District, could soon be the norm for the rest of the populace.

This is the idea behind Globe Telecom Inc.’s plan to create the country’s largest financial services network with the help of its 15,000 vendors.

Globe will turn its sub-dealers, or vendors who distribute products like prepaid credits or SIM cards to be sold to consumers, into cash-in and cash-out points for the company’s electronic money service GCash, creating a network of informal automated teller machines (ATMs) throughout the archipelago.

After the Mobile Money Transfer Asia-PacificConference (MMT-APAC) held on December 7-9 held in Manila, USAID-MABS and MicroSave conducted an M-Banking dialogue at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Manila on December 9 and 10. Selected microfinance practioners, networks including MicroSave, MABS, Mercy Corps, MICRA and ACCION, donor-supported efforts including USAID and IFC, various third party providers including EKO from India, and Mobile Money Issuers including Safaricom’s M-PESA and Globe X-Change Inc (GXI/GCASH) participated in the dialogue. Read the rest of the article.

Owing to its exemplary performance and remarkable success as mobile commerce pioneer and leader, the Philippines hosted the first Mobile Money Transfer Asia Pacific Conference (MMT-APAC) On December 7-9, 2009 put on by Clarion Events. Held at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Manila, the conference gathered some of the most important mobile money industry leaders, mobile network operators, financial institutions and regulators from all over the world. Following a tradition of successful MMT conferences in different parts of the world, the MMT-APAC hosted 166 participants and featured presentations from respected industry leaders. Read the rest of the article.

Business World -- The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is open to allowing third parties such as retail outlets to act as mobile money transfer agents so Filipinos without immediate access to banks could still have access to simple financial services.

\"We are studying this,\" BSP Gov. Amando M. Tetangco Jr. told reporters at the sidelines of the Mobile Money Transfer Conference and Expo yesterday.

During his keynote speech, Mr. Tetangco said the central bank appreciates the need to accredit third parties such as pharmacies and convenience stores as intermediaries for mobile money transfer but it needs to make sure that the public stays protected.

\"While the business case of a vast network of authorized agents is clear, sufficient regulations must be in place to ascertain these agents comply with operational standards as well as good governance and consumer protection practices.\"

He said only banks and quasi-banks have been allowed by the central bank to engage in mobile money transfer, which use mobile phones for banking transactions such as deposits and withdrawals. Read the rest of the article on Business World online.

For five fruitful years, GCASH, RBAP, and USAID-MABS have formed a solid team-up that offers financial inclusion through Mobile Phone Banking Services.

This has allowed them to reach communities, providing mobile banking services through the GCASH platform. RBAP, the MABS program and GXI, in turn, have significantly contributed to the micro-entrepreneur’s access to financial services.

By Lawrence Agcaoili

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is very bullish on the prospects of mobile banking next year as telecommunications giants Smart Communication and Globe Telecom booked P9 billion worth of transactions in the second quarter this year.

BSP officer-in-charge Nestor Espenilla Jr. said in an interview with reporters that more consumers, particularly families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), are starting to appreciate the use of electronic transactions.

“We are bullish on mobile banking. We expect volume of transactions through the electronic money system to grow next year,” he said.

e-transactions involve the payment of goods purchased and services rendered but could also be a conduit for the money sent home by Filipinos working abroad.

“The amount of e-money transactions is already huge, and we expect it to grow further,” the BSP official added.

The Philippines has the “most acclaimed and mature” mobile money programs in the world; thus, there could be no better place in the world to hold a conference of international mobile money technology (MMT) leaders. This was according to the organizers of the Asia Pacific Mobile Money Transfer Conference to be held in Manila this December.

The world’s pioneer in mobile phone banking, the Philippines has one of the most organized, sophisticated and successful mobile money systems in the world. With over PhP 13 Billion worth of mobile money transactions each month, the Philippines exhibits outstanding performance in terms of effective use of mobile phones, mobile money and mobile phone banking services.

Globe Xchange Inc. (GXI) announces FREE GCASH REMITTANCE SERVICE FROM SEPTEMBER 30 to OCTOBER 5, 2009 to allow OFWs to extend help to those affected by Typhoon Ondoy. Globe will be waiving remittance transactions from abroad via GCASH to assist families affected by the typhoon and make it less burdensome for their relatives overseas to send money back home.

MANILA, Philippines – It is estimated that by 2013, mobile money will be worth about $202 billion, of which 60 percent will be from the Asia-Pacific and Far East regions.

In the Philippines alone, a whopping P13-billion per month worth of mobile money transactions were recorded.

“It exhibits outstanding performance in terms of effective use of mobile phones, mobile money and mobile phone banking services,” organizers of the Asia Pacific Mobile Money Transfer Conference said in a report.

Proponents of mobile money transactions in the region will be holding an international mobile money technology (MMT) in Manila next month.

Taking part in the international mobile money technology (MMT) scene, MABS presented alongside other mobile phone banking leaders on how mobile money works on the “front lines” of microfinance at the 2009 Mobile Money Technology Global Summit held in Dubai on October 26-27. MABS Chief of Party John Owens shared the experience of rural banks in the Philippines who are effectively using mobile money transfer to expand outreach to more than 330 experts and leaders in the mobile money industry who participated in the summit.

Presenting with him in a panel discussion on how mobile money works on the ‘front lines’ of microfinance were Musoni’s Africa Implementation Team Manager Cameron Goldie-Scot, Aikku’s Microfinance Specialist Philippe Breul, and Utiba’s Product and Marketing Director Ritesh Andley. They presented on the operational and cultural impact of mobile phone banking on existing practices of MFIs, MMT as a tool to increase productivity and reduce operational costs, and how MMT affects the lives of microentrepreneurs in Africa, India and the Philippines.