Unionbank Go Rewards Visa Card Launched Today

They're making shopping even more rewarding today at UnionBank by launching the new  Unionbank Go Rewards Visa Card. It's both a credit card and rewards card all in one. If you're a fan of brands under Robinsons, this is certainly a way of making your purchases more rewarding as it  earns you rewards points and more benefits which they could only provide. It's different because it's accelerated, you get 1 point for every 200 pesos you spend whilst Go Rewards Platinum bearers get 1 point for every 100 pesos spent. Thing is, these points don't expire as long as your Go Rewards account stays active. These are precious ones because you can use them for free stuff, pay for products at Robinsons retail stores or flight tickets if you need to. For those who are already Gold and Platinum, you get to have a Go Rewards Black membership via their automatic upgrade. You can use perks such as exclusive Black Member lanes in Shopwise or The Marketplace if you're doing groceries, and also get free parking in selected branches too.

During the event, Gonkongwei group's executives, Visa reps, UnionBank heads, Go Rewards, Robinsons Retail execs and more were also there to witness the event.

"We are so excited to celebrate the Go Rewards credit card with partnership with UnionBank and Visa. Shopping isn't just shopping anymore, with this co branded credit card, it enhances your journey. The rewards structure will go beyond your expectations. Together we will embark on rewarding experiences." -Ms. Cindy of Go Rewards 

"Today we are very proud to launch a product for our customers with something that they love. The access to such a phenomenal card comes with the joy of shopping, let's begin!" -Rishal of UnionBank

"This is the second time I'm doing this with the Gokongwei group. We bring partners together to offer to customers, to hopefully make payments easier, faster, better for Filipinos. - Jeff of Visa Philippines

You can apply for it online or via the Unionbank or Go Rewards official website today!

UnionBank Confirms Working On Metaverse, Announced Milestones on 13th ETalk Tales

Unionbank has accelerated transformation not just of the company, but the whole banking industry. They brought power to small and medium enterprises, brought access to even the remote areas, and improved the lives of countless Filipinos. They have been instrumental in the growth of companies, even government agencies, and has been lauded not just in the country but the whole Asian region.

James Illeto VP for Corporate and Media Reputation Management of UB says "This is our last E Talk tales and is about gratitude for everyone who supported us this year. What an exciting year it has been with Unionbank, we received awards, has been the most recommended bank in digital. We can't wait to unrap more."

Ms Pinky Webb says "2021 has been a banner year for Unionbank, with life changing projects, it redefined what banking is today."

Henry Aguda the Senior EVP and Chief technology Operations Officer for UB says "Unionbank has blased the trail in digital. The pandemic has created this shift, the way we interact, transact in the financial sector. We always had the forward looking view and we have thrived during the hard times. In 2020, we focused on our digital strengths, we increased by 300 percent in customers and is still continuing to 2021. We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel by Q2, even if we had to face lock-downs. I'm glad to say we are ending the year on a high. Only Unionbank has been given a digital bank license as an actual bank. We now have a San Pedro Innovation Campus, a major step for us that we have it during at a time of crisis. We have superior innovation, registering 21 patents, 18 more in the process supporting inventors, think tanks, and more. We also have network and branch transformation with 100 percent uptime, data center connectivity, 150 branches transformed of over 195 branch nationwide. We also have Instapay 2.0, leading the way of transacting electronically in the marketplace. We also have the SME Banking Platform so MSME's have a way of IFC Investments, and banking apps that answer their banking needs. We also have our tech advocacy about wealth management, it is educational support and trained 101 digital transformation specialists, with thought leaders in government included. We also have UBX platform signups, where thousands of MSME's got their help. Customer accounts also increased, phenomenal performance even during 2021's pandemic. Our customers, employees and stakeholders have always been there, thank you!"

Arvie De Vera the Co Founder and CEO of Union Digital says "We wanted to have the company as a digital bank. We are now a tech company and a bank. What differentiates us is that we exist in the cloud. Our infrastructure is not as huge, but because of it, our services are lower priced. With digital, people can be assesed by transaction data. It allows us to imagine a future with little or no fees through blockchain. Send money in minutes, where customers can get the solution in a few taps. The future is for banks to become digital, but it is a very complicated process. The newly transformed Unionbank, UBX and Union Digital did a hybrid approach, to embrace it, to adapt to it. It can address the needs of a digital world. Fintech has enormous growth, blockchain adoption has grown 36 times and open finance has been prioritized by Banko Sentral. The Philippines is the 4th fastest digital economy in the world, and is expected to reach higher in the next few years. The P2E has also grown, 40 percent of it is from the Philippines. The Filipino is driving it again. Our country remains the top in social media usage worldwide, even Ecommerce adoption and the opportunity to grow is great. Unionbank is the only publicly listed bank that is granted a digital bank license. We also championed open finance in the country, it enables companies to work together better. Our API's can be used in real time, in a secure manner. It supports the industry and empower its growth. At our heart, we give what they want, what they need in security and proper governance. We have solid leadership, one who understands how to be first movers."

 

Albert Cuadrante the Chief Marketing Officer says "The year has ups and downs, but we are happy we are on our way to recovery. The digital economy has increased, in ecommerce and food, adding 12 million just this year, around 17 Billion dollars in the digital platforms. That's 4.3 percent of the GDP of 2021. The DTI targets to increase this and it is a validation to see our platforms continously improve over the years addressing our clients needs, to thrive in the new environment. Our fintech groups, including Union Digital, will push boundaries in the coming year. There will be more good news, have a safe Christmas!"

They want to continue to be ahead of the curve, follow customers where they are heading to. They don't want to lose the personal touch, to have everything they do revolve around the needs of the customer. Right now, UB is actually working on things like the METAVERSE (they actually have a branch now but are still working on it) and is optimistic that they would be able to deliver their services not just for their customers now, but the future. EON is growing, Unionbank Digital is also growing, and people want digital capability even before the pandemic, it's not gonna close down. Keep focusing on the customer, and everything else will follow. They need speed, decisiveness, whilst being customer centric.

Insurance Crisis in the Philippines Addressed on 11th Unionbank E-TalkTales

Woke up super early for this but had my cup of coffee and forgot to login promptly for the 11th edition of the E-Talk Tales hosted by Unionbank. Guest speakers were UBX President and CEO John Januszczak, Coherent CEO John Brisco and Chubb Deputy Regional President for Asia Pacific Glen Browne.

They discussed the Philippines low insurance coverage and how much Filipinos have not seen the benefits of having one. John Januszczak says "It's not easy for most people to have a basic understanding of how it can be valuable for them. Providers should device a way to make it easier for them to discover it. You have to make them relate, have it personalized and not make it complicated. These days, some products are being shown the same way as it was 50 years ago. It should be easy to understand for customers, agents and advisors. Mobile has been a great enabler in the Philippines and we have to leverage that more so for internet connection, I believe there are creative ways to do it. We're bringing products to make the transaction faster, to make it easier for them to buy insurance. There is indeed a lot of upside in getting insurance."

John Brisco, CEO of Coherent says "What we do is make it easy for them to create products by providing data, help them interact wtih insurance and UBX without hitches, make it accessible for everyone. We want to help integrate them into the UBX ecosystem and act as the facilitator between them and UBX. We want it to be as seamless as possible."

Glen Brown adds "Insurance is seen as something extremely complicated, when we first partnered with UBX, what we could do here was different from other countries. We'd learned across Southeast Asia that we need to bring the best solutions to more that 50 Million signups in the region. There really has been a change in the last 2-3 years. Chubb continues to provide world-class products that fits in that experience and Coherent is bringing the technology that makes that happen. It's quite unique."

With the way things are, there are lots of room to grown in the insurance business in the country. You just have to have the right partner to make it work.

UNIONBANK Set to Construct Unionbank Innovation Campus in San Pedro, Laguna

Got off the Unionbank a little hopeful for our country. You see, the bank innovators just broke ground on this new initiative called the Unionbank Innovation Campus. Aside from their digital transformation a couple of years ago and the effective hackathons they hosted through the years,  their digital solutions continue to satisfy their customers needs. Putting this knowledge to a whole new generation of Filipinos is a must and they're putting their brains where their mouth is.

The Unionbank Innovation Campus will be constructed on a sprawling one hectare property in San Pedro, Laguna. They are banking on (sorry I had to say that line lol) their capabilities in research and development, plus their expertise in fields of data science, artificial intelligence, blockchain, digital banking (EON) and their Asian Institute of Digital Transformation which they have partnered with Singapore based Global Learning Solutions.

UnionBank President and CEO Edwin Baustista says "This is our dream, our testament to invest in the future not just in the Philippines but the rest of Asia. This is our thrust in the Aboitiz group and is a major step to become a hub for technology in the region. We want to create the future of banking and it starts with this facility."

The campus will be completed around 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2022, so if you're looking forward to have the know how on everything that concerns these technologies, it'll be best to head down south. News like these just excites me, I hope they have online options (which I'm sure they will) because it's pretty far from my home in QC. I'd like to look at graduate studies if it's going to be part of their curriculum.

UnionBank 9th E-Talktales: Helping MSME's with UB GlobalLinker Platform

The damage brought about by the pandemic has been huge. The most affected sector has been SME's and a lot of them have been downsized or closed down. Unionbank can provide them the tools to make them whatever they want to be so they get the support they need and enable them to achieve more even in the face of the pandemic. They are committed to make businesses thrive.

Unionbank has been the best MSME's bank. Unionbank's Mass Market Chief Manuel Santiago Jr. says "This is our 9th edition and Unionbank is your partner. MSME's are the backbone of the Philippine economy but have very limited support, hit hard by the pandemic. Our digital expertise enable us to help a lot of people to do things beyond banking. Running a business can be hard, and businesses have little to no online presence and have no access to financing. Today, the applications usually are paper based and tedious. Unionbank offers a solution for MSME's with a platform Global Linker so they get everything they need in one app. This has everything you need to start and grow your business. Business owners need a place to build their online store and promote their products. They can get tips from entrepreneurs, start their banking relationships in this platform. You also need the tools for financial transactions and this can access and manage accounts for MSME's without going to the bank. You can pay BIR, SSS, Pagibig, do online check deposits, avail credit lines via the app. Expansion can be easy with easy access to loans. Applications are approved on the same day and is done by data driven credit rating. Access to credit is not only limited to a few big companies. We are digitizing the supply chain via blockchain technology. With this connection we can support the growth of industries through the supply chain ecosystem. As they grow, we can make accepting and tracking payments easy. The payment gateway can provide payment requests, collect payment, fund transfer, debit cards, credit cards and access it on the MSME Banking App."

You can have GlobalLinker and meet other like minded businessmen, learn from their successful businesses and apply best practices with your own. The payment gateway can also make things easier for you to make transactions online. People are hesitant to get loans for their businesses but I guess, this would make it easier. They looked at it as an opportunity to lend to smaller businesses and develop the infrastructure that automates things even during the pandemic. They have rolled up these products faster. Today they are now able to process loans during the same day. In the past, they would be required to pass financial statements before they look at a borrower's data. Now they have MSME's who benefit from it.

You can now download the Unionbank GlobalLinker App on Google Play and visit https://unionbank.globallinker.com for more information about this platform.

UnionBank Continues <|U|>Hack & Pl@y Series

It's a little daunting to talk about this but to put it simply, they want to discover talents, to discover ideas to improve their banking services. In the process, they also have created partnerships by letting them use Unionbank's API's (Application Programming Interface) and improve them even more. They want to push the envelope to find out how to do things even better. They are sponsoring hackathons and you would be amazed at what people offer, no matter what age and show us how their project works. They call it UNIONBANK Hack, going on their 5th one in this series. 

UnionBank's SVP for Human Resource and Director Michelle Rubio says "We have this soul behind the digital transformation, to have people with really good capabilities and harness UnionBank's resources. We want to progress it more and not just be the financial corporation of choice. We want to get apps and API's to deliver technology for nation building. We have been doing this since last year and we are working with the academe and their schools to improve what we have, enjoin more students, professionals and perhaps next year even a hackathon next year, hopefully to attract them to also work later on with us as we are a digital bank. Our objective is also simple, we do not agree that our talented people are being used by other nationalities because we can do it here."

She adds "Last year we thought of wicked problems, this year we want to focus on AI, VR, authenticating identity and things that are related to us as a financial institution. We were surprised that each of the groups that did good in the past are also joining us as institutions, partners or offer even freelance work. "

Not to confuse this with black hat, they're into making things that could spark positive change in the lives of Filipinos. They will also be providing the platform, possible future development of their work if they win the competition. Some cash prizes also await winners. Most of the winners have already worked with Unionbank and have worked with them over the years. If you've got bright ideas and can do code, then this would be a great opportunity for you. They will be roaming around the schools nationwide to choose the best talents, including those recommended by their professors and see how this will grow. I could see the optimism in their eyes, and they are right, why should we be outsourcing these things when we know we could do it ourselves? We've got tons of programmers and leaders in the country who can spark change, and that's a good thing. Congratulations to Unionbank for spearheading this, I can't wait to join your caravans too in the near future. :)

KUMAGCOW
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The New EON E-Money App

It looks like Unionbank's EON card is changing shape, taking the challenge of the ever changing nature of internet banking and wanting to answer the needs of their clientele. 

"Unionbank is challenging the status quo, we listen and we will do EON banking differently. It's a selfie bank, you can now bank for your self, with yourself, reinvent it and cocreate with us your bank and your future. You are part of this." - Dr. Justo Ortiz

"In 1999 people were starting to buy online, to pay stocks, and people were not using credit cards because of the fear and introduced EON Cyber Accounts. It was used for online transactions, used for EBAY, and word of mouth used and endorsing our product without us knowing who they are. There were early adapters and EON was their preferred product. People were finding use for it, it was taking a life of it's own. That's when we realize the spirit of Co-creation. They made use of EON more than what we intended, and that's why we brought in technology so they can be involved. We made sure they have the hands on experience and tell us what they need."

"We found out that our users are using EON for a lot of other things that what we expect them to be. We tried to find out what they need and made the platform, passwords were then very troublesome to change and that's when we thought of Selfie Banking. We got the best in class technology and put it in an app. This is the same technology as with Homeland Security in the US. This the new EON E-Money Account. It's the first of it's kind that you can buy in a convenience store. Most of our users are also buy online locally, as shipping is also a problem, now we have MyShoppingBox through the EON E-Money account. They want to use and transfer money too, so we researched this and got people to a security standard that people would be comfortable to use it. So far we are enhancing that technology, to make it more reliable. At the core of it is the experience, we had to make sure our customer experience is attuned to that, in real time transactions. We are getting to see a digital bank, a digital experience that does everything real time 24/7. Analytics and geo location too. It's just gonna get better everyday." - Paolo Baltao EON's Head Advocate

You can now download the app on the Apple Store and and Google Play today! 

KUMAGCOW

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The UREKA E-Commerce Forum in Mega Manila

Micro/Small/Medium Enterprises got a little cultural treat and a HUGE help as they opened the UREKA E-Commerce Forum in Mega Manila. At the SM Megamall's Megatrade Hall, they got MSME's to put up their own businesses online so they could grow their businesses together with Air21, AMTI their software partner, Dragonpay to support payments, Shopinas, Esquire Financing, Geiser, PLDT, and more champions like Facebook Asia Pacific, Microsoft Philippines, Taxumo, which all or in part would help their quest to sustained and inclusive growth in UREKA. It's a great equalizer and Ubion Bank knows how important this is so their customers achieve their dreams and their communities. It's an untapped market, (E Commerce) and it's a great equalizer. This means you'll get a 24/7 shop open, makes you earn while you sleep.

Unionbank CEO Justo Ortiz suggests there are tons of opportunities on the internet and people can earn more in e-commerce so you get more customers, some of which can get you big profit while in the comfort of your homes and offices. He adds "There are a lot out there, some of them don't know you, and are waiting to see what you have to sell. This is UREKA forum, and they want you to have the tools how to make this platform work for you. We have gone to Iloilo, Davao, Baguio, and now with the Mega Manila leg, they want business here to improve and start making bold steps and calculated risks. You are an integral part of the economy and this is just a start."

If you are around SM Megamall, make sure you drop by the SM Megatrade Hall to get your businesses started or improved with the services they have during the forum and even beyond the event. It's going to connect you to the best institutions to also lend you money, the government and these businesses are already there and all you have to do is work hard and show up!

KUMAGCOW

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UREKA Mega Manila Forum Brings MSME's to Digital Space

UREKA has landed in Manila, and this is good news for SME's.

"This is a wholistic thing that we want to do. The UREKA Mega Manila Forum is going to happen at SM Megamall Megatrade Hall on February 25. We know how there is a growing trend of mobile phones and we already have those ingredients, who needs a platform that would be able to sustain financial inclusion, so we could stay there. We hope to have the SME's benefit from it, to promote your own brand from Baguio, Cebu, Davao and now Manila. This is a mutual effort and team learning so we see the time to do it in Manila because we have partners coming in like Microsoft etc., in order to share our best practices and further enhance the relevance of UREKA and our partners." says Genaro Lopez the Executive Vice President of Union Bank Philippines. 

UREKA is a market place, Shopinas is included and any SME can get started on urekashops.ph as soon as they get to attend in the forum. 

PLDT SME Nation aside from being an enabler, they joined this to educate SME's in the rural places to change Filipino lives. They teach people e-commerce to bring them online so the Philippines won't get left behind. Our neighbors are already heavy and are contributing to their GDP so just imagine the possibilities to our country. We are trying to educate them to promote themselves through social media platforms and how we could get in touch with SME's. We have followed up with our previous attendees and we're asking them to open new channels so while they have physical stores, they could offer it online and support them in their businesses.

UREKA has gone to different cities first because they want inclusive growth and happen first outsuide the metro. This program will also entail help from the consortium members and the government agencies who are now providing services to help them grow. They also have students who they call e-cadets so they help teach the system, so they too can learn practical business experience while helping people with theories of commerce and the things they learned in previous forums.

It's important to provide relevant technology so owners won't get frustrated and this consortium would tell you the ins and outs so you could grow your business in a sustainable way. You will get to disturb giants, but you will understand the whole process with mature technologies and take advantage for affordable, available on demand services so you don't have to spend a lot for technology. Hopefully UREKA will get entrepreneurs to try new technologies, an end to end platform that they offer. You will be asked to bring a few things in the forum so you can get started right away. If you want to register, visit urekaforum.ph/registration and follow the steps accordingly. 

Unionbank Declared Best Company To Work For in Asia

I've been banking with Union Bank for quite a while now. It's been around 13 years if I'm not mistaken and it's been very smooth, very affordable too since most of my online transactions happen with this bank. They were just recognized as THE BEST COMPANY TO WORK FOR in ASIA and had us celebrate with them this evening. (Yes I'm live blogging!).

I like the different booths they have here, pretty much describing their plans for the year. They will also launch a couple of technologies including kiosks that they'll be using with their services, I find that very interesting since they are just in the planning stages. Aside from that, their employees are somewhat involved in charity work. They call this UNIONBANK GOBEYOND and they've helped a lot of people with their GOBEYOND Communities program launched in 2014. Now this isn't funded by the bank, as it is a volunteer program organized and driven by their employees with key programs that want to act on the Environment, Education, Employment & Livelihood, and Inclusion. Isn't that nice? Thanks to the awesome lady who explained things to me earlier, she was really passionately telling me about their cause. They also help kids, their communities too. Their employees also decide on who to help so that is somehow groundbreakingly unique. I guess it's nice to know that banks and their management are not just cold hearted people behind the counter. Apparently in this case, they really care.

Aside from that, they've got a new tie up with GetGo which is a new credit card that actually earns points each time you use it. Pretty nice for those flying regulary on Cebu Pacific flights and shop a lot. It'll be a good thing to have while purchasing gifts and airline tickets especially when they're on sale. The perks are just hard to resist, so you know what to do! 

KUMAGCOW

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Shopping, Transferring Funds Online Made Easy Through the eMoney XChange Service

Online transactions are very risky and I know how Filipinos tend to shy away from purchasing things online; but in this day and age there are SO MANY BANKS/SERVICES OUT THERE that you can't decide where to go to and how. This is what network giant Globe (G-Xchange, Inc. thru GCASH Services) and banking powerhouse Unionbank of the Philippines (EON, E-Wallet, ePayCard, Savings and Checking Accounts) are gunning to simplify. Watch how they do this now with better choices and naxinizw Internet related secured connectivity.

Purchasing through online retail stores like Amazon, Ebay or Multiply these card and GCASH services are but of a normal sight. Some prefer GCASH or the EON Card/Visa services or Paypal debit transactions in order to pay for products they want to buy. This is a huge market indeed and in order to make things better for all consumers G-Xchange and Union Bank of the Philippines joined forces to bring you a partnership that would benefit all of us... it's called eMoney XCHANGE.

Let me tell you why online shoppers and bloggers prefer UNIONBANK's EON Card first over the other banks. First of all, there are only a few reputable paying services in the United States/Philippines and if you are getting financial transactions over the Internet the preferred medium is Paypal. Before you can get your Paypal Account registered it asks for a bank number. This particular number isn't normally given nor well known by banks. This information is readily available though on the Internet for UNIONBANK of the Philippines and they only charge a very minimal amount every time you transfer funds. The EON card is the best in the market for this function. Probably 80% of social media users like me use their EON Card because they only charge 50 pesos for it plus no maintaining balance to worry about. The 250 peso fee per annum is so cheap. Did you know that the other banks would charge you a whopping 250 - to a few thousand of pesos per transaction just for that function alone to work? That's a holdup in my dictionary. This card also connected to Bancnet/Megalink/Expressnet so you get the easiest ways to pay for your bills and local purchases (if you want to use it as a debit card). Do you now see my point why why I chose to get an EON Card?

Globe on the other hand through it's subsidiary G-Xchange Incorporated's GCASH has been making Filipino lives easier these past few years. Remittances (from OFW's and your relatives) and purchases in the local market has been done on this medium and preferred by more establishments - websites nationwide. I use it to even purchase products for photography on merchant place Multiply and haven't got any hitches at all. If there's a partner establishment outside the Philippines I'm sure it will be easy to get your money to the Philippines with GCASH facilities less the humongous bank fees associated with that. With this synnergy Globe is excited to partner up with Union Bank of the Philippines and make things better for you and me. You can now transfer funds from the EON Card and your Globe Handyphone!

How?! That's Easy!

To transfer Money from your Globe GCASH wallet to your preferred Union Bank of the Philippines Account just text G2U space and send it to 2318. This will only charge you 7.50 pesos per transaction. If you want to transfer funds from your Union Bank Account to your Globe GCASH Wallet Text U2G space and send it to 2318 also. Same charges apply. To inquire for your balance in the Union Bank account just text BAL to 2318 and they will charge you only 2.50 pesos for that! Isn't that a steal?!

If you haven't activated your GCASH services on your Globe Handyphone here's how!

Go to the Globe Postpaid and Prepaid Icon (Settings>Phone>Sim Applications if you are using an IPHONE). In the GCASH menu select Register and follow the instructions indicated. You can now easily put funds on your GCASH Wallet through available 18,000++ stores nationwide.

How do I enroll to the Service?!

Call Union Bank of the Philippines at their customer hotline number 841-86-00 and register your account and Globe Mobile number. You shall receive a text message containing instructions on how to activate it. Please visit their website for more information!

With the addition of these services to their current portfolio, Globe and Union Bank of the Philippines would service more small to medium enterprise/small depositors and make their lives easier with this cooperation. In the end they only want to take care of their customers, I'm one of them; and hopefully you would soon be too!

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