HEART EVANGELISTA Shows You How to Use GCash

She's iconic, lovely at every angle. She's dubbed as a real life "Crazy Rich Asian", hobnobbing with the who's who of the fashion industry and a front row regular at the biggest shows... she's Love Marie Evangelista-Escudero aka Heart Evangelista.

Contrary to impressions about her, she's quite the opposite and actually knows how to manage her finances well. GCash took us to their very first GCash Spot Light, a new online talk show hosted by Boy Abunda which will be shown in GCash assets and social channels. 

GCash Spotlight

GCash will also be having Heart appear in their different commercials, all to talk about her financial progress. I'm sure there are a lot of people who think about how Heart actually affords everything, how she shops, or how fond she is for enjoying the things out in the street, the Kwek Kwek she eats and just about how she actually saves for every little thing she gets before actually buying it. 

She also uses GCash everyday, whether she dines at some of the posh restaurants in Paris or enjoy a bowl of pares in the streets of Manila, she gives them the GCash Visa card or use the QR payment option. In both cases, it gets accepted and is quite convenient. The exchange rate is also another perk, because you can pay for things without a hassle.

Heart also monitors her savings, she says Chiz sends her 50, 100 or 143 pesos just to be extra sweet. She doesn't make her hard earned money stagnant, she pays for bags then puts her artwork in it and earn from every piece she sells. She also pays for services she gets like hair and makeup, even the online store she frequents accepts GCash as payment, and since she has a lot of pets, she gets food, clothes and accessories online and it gets delivered at home. Panda of course gets first dibs. She also invests via GStocks, put money in on really good companies and even gets her travel insurance from the app. She secures her luggage, flights and emergencies in it as the GInsure Travel Insurance covers it.

Here's how it went.

Ernest Cu the Mynt Chairman and Globe Group CEO "For years now, we have made different kinds of solutions to make Filipinos lives better. We want Heart to help us to showcase the different features of GCash, because yes it's the best way to pay."

Martha Sazon the CEO of GCash says "You saw the film, and we want to welcome Heart Evangelista Escudero. The world fashion icon also co-wrote the shoot. She's that committed and invested in this campaign. Even the wardrobe, and she does really use the GCash Visa Card. In her era of spending, shopping and saving, she will be with GCash."

Heart will be appearing in more of these videos soon. You'll hear, see more of what she does with GCash, and hope you get to learn a thing or two.

GCash Signs MOA with National Bureau of Investigation to Deter Cyber Crime

Today is a great day for every GCash account holder as a MOA was signed at the Seda Hotel in BGC between GCash and the National Bureau of Investigation in the Philippines. This is to further strengthen data privacy and cyber security efforts in the country.

The event was attended by Atty. Maricor Alvarez-Adriano the Chief Legal Officer of GCash, Atty. Gilbert Escoto the Head of G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI) Legal Department, Oscar "Renren" Enrico Reyes Jr. the G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI) Chief Executive Officer  and Atty. Medardo De Lemos the National Director of the NBI.

Mr. Enrico Santos of G-Xchange says "This event underscores the synergy between the private sector and a government agency. Strengthening cyber security is part of this, with over 6 Million merchants, we have been digitizing transactions for everyday Filipinos. Now you don't have to go distances to pay for utilities, and building your earn and trust is our top priority. GCash has been taking efforts to protect user accounts, we want to take it to the next level. Only you can access your GCash account, and only you will have your face to unlock it on our GSafe Tayo campaign. As we continue to advance consumer protection, we continue to partner with government agencies to pursue a safer and more just society. This is why we have NBI here. Thank you and good morning!"

Dir. De Lemos of NBI says "Today we formalize the partnership of both our institutions to mobilize safety in transactions on GCash. Criminal behaviors change, and financial transfers happen in a flick of a button. We used to be traditional investigators, but cyber criminals are out there. We need to do battle quietly, and we need each other, hence this partnership. GCash has data needed for arrest and prosecution, and in the past, we had successful operations with GCash. It was timely and needed for the fight against cyber criminals. We thank you, let's continue to do the critical things we need to do to make sure every Filipino is safe out there."

Users know that the platform is safe, they now also weed out bad actors but it will all fall to capturing them when it happens. This long term partnership makes it possible to initiate when complainants ask for help. So if you get to be a victim of scams, file a police report and submit it to GCash so they could do further steps to suspend and file with authorities when needed.

Gogoro Philippines Launch New Experience Store in Makati

It's a nice morning to celebrate new things as Gogoro Philippines just launched their new Gogoro Experience Store at the Greenbelt 3 in Makati City. The event was held at Ayala Museum with executives coming from the Ayala Corporation, Globe, GCash, 917 Ventures, Gogoro Taiwan, Gogoro Philippines, the Taiwanese Embassy in Manila and various stakeholders were in attendance to take a first glimpse of what will be launched and supposed to be sold next month. This is quite nice that they thought of making sure you experience riding, looking at the actual Electronic Vehicle first before they release it to the market.

Bernie Llamzon the President and CEO of GOGOGRO Philippines "It's a testament to urban mobility. Why are we opening the experience center? It's all about connection, and who stands to benefit from it, YOU. It's a bridge, we are opening our doors today so you can touch, feel and understand Gogoro. We are cultivating a community and it is an invitation for you to become part of the story. Your engagement and feedback will be part of our commercial launch next month. Welcome to the future of mobility, welcome to the new Gogoro Experience Center."

This is one of Ayala's projects in order to move to electric vehicles. Cesar Consing the CEO and President of the Ayala Corporation says "We do it across our companies, and this initiative of going green is something we take seriously. Gogoro is just an extension of that, we are going to lead the charge to EV's. That's what we are doing here, and this partnership of Gogoro and Globe, brought this EV brand in the Philippines. It's green, ecosystem and partnership that we are offering. We hope you like what you'll see."

Horace Luke the founder and CEO of Gogoro says "I've dreamed of this in 2011, we are now extending to outside Taiwan. Thank you to Ernest Cu of Globe who believes in me, and we know the world is going to two wheel and three wheel vehicles now. Thank you to the Gogoro Philippines team and the Taiwan team who worked tirelessly these past few years to bring this product to the PH. The electricity is sustainable, and recyclable parts are being used to make the footprint lower. We look forward to see what we built enable this vision in this country."

Ernest Cu the CEO of Globe says "When I saw this in Taiwan years ago, it was super nice. I didn't like bikes back then, EV was also too far from the Philippines. We timed our entry to the country, like GCash, no one was solving the problem and we only scaled it 6 years ago. The smartphone penetration was not as good, and when the pandemic hit we began working on it even more to become financially inclusive. Majority of Filipinos don't have plugs, the one minute swap is like prepaid... And we are the prepaid kings in the country. Now it is all paid electronically through GCash. It's different, and seamless now as it goes through the backbone of Globe and it's partners. Let us see the new Gogoro Experience Center, we want this to be perfect and hope you become our first customer."

You may also ask for a test drive as arrangements can be made, they also will explain to you the battery swapping mechanics so you could conveniently do it via their Gogoro Network power stations. The Smartscooters we saw on display was the Gogoro SuperSport, Gogoro VIVA and the Gogoro S1. Though they will make sure that the Gogoro 2 Premium and the Gogoro Delight will also be available in the Philippines.

You may visit the new Gogoro Experience Store at the 2nd level of Greenbelt 3, turn right when you enter through the bridge from Landmark (location of former Globe store).

Winning Customers This Mega Holiday with GCash

Spent the evening at the GCash Insider event in BGC as they bare news about this supposed MEGA HOLIDAY happening in the Philippines. They also shared information about how to win customers at the most competitive days since everybody's having their own mega sales season.  It's timely and apt for Pinoys since we do start the holidays quite early, a cultural phenomenon that even Mariah Carey understood.

The number 1 finance app in the country GCash knows how important this is not just for their consumer base but for the countless businesses that are also on the platform. They have pioneered a lot of things in the past and this time, services have changed tremendously because of the demands of the economy pre and post pandemic. Connecting to consumers have evolved and it is critical to reach your target consumers which is why they have personalized the experience year on year. 

The rise of e-commerce channels , tons of promos and discounts means you need to make your brand stand out. It needs clearer communication and better strategies. 

GCash B2B Marketing Head on New Businesses Katrina Ronquillo says "Christmas is extraordinary in the Philippines and to note, we celebrate it as early as September. We also see consumer spending, movement, brand spending increase both online and offline. People are excited about it, even if it means going through traffic everywhere. You need to know your customer, and we know how mega it's going to be this season."

Carlos Bauza the Innovations and AdTech head for GCash says "The past few days we scoured the internet and found some of the most weird items are being highly reviewed online. From flavored soda, haunted items, a jail cell for phones. Value, Volume and Users increased and people value safety in transactions when it comes to digital transactions. Some segments are not as natural, some people buy things online, some don't. Mostly it's the convenience that makes them buy. Despite the massive growth of online, almost half still do offline purchases because of security and value of the product. Consumer spending also has grown in both, and it has to be in targeted driven channels that we need to be in so we can drive sales. GCash Voucher Ads can get your products where your customers are."

Sarah Venturina Chief Data Officer of Gcash adds "I've been working 24 years in this data industry, that's 1999. We have little information of our customers, but these days we have a lot and it's not just age and gender. At GCash, we try to understand our customers with our shopaholic segments. From GDP, employment, and income growth, we have seen this increase over the years especially for the shopaholics... most of which are also doing transactions on GCash. These are across different segments. And it's not just women. We need to support their passions, invest in cross selling, revisit typical consumer data. At GCash we have over 50 different affinities, and we did it today in this room. 90 percent of you are shopaholics, luxury shoppers are 21 percent, 76 percent are Salon Lovers, these are your GCash personalities."

Claude Gomez of Insights Analytics and Globe Synergies says "We are in sales and marketing so we look at the data points especially the money that goes in and out of wallets. Lending penetration has also grown, 9x in the past 3 years. It's because it is a convenient and is expected to increase in December. This is a lot of retail, more of wants rather than needs during this time. Much of the purchases are gadgets, and by targeting your customers to get personalized offers, it will be more effective with GCash Hyper AI Ads (beta). It maximizes campaign revenue and optimize learning about your customers. This doesn't just drive growth to GCash products but partner brands as well."

These are just some of the things GCash does and if you want to win customers through mega mobility, affinities and spenders, choose the e-wallet and tech company that does these all. They have Mega Shopper Booster, Shopper Pulse Push, Cross Shopper Trigger and Merry GCash packages you can avail if you're interested and plan to do big things this 11.11, 12.12 and Christmas season.

Globe Group Optimistic on Growth Despite Economic Challenges

Globe is now officially running their business into more of a Tech-co rather than a pure telecommunications company. In recent announcements from the group, there has been strong growth on data and non telco revenues in recent months (first half of 2023) compared to last year. This brings their non telco revenues to 52% year on year amounting to 2.8 Billion pesos. Aside from that, they are optimistic about the impact of the new ST Telemedia Global Data Centres Philippines that broke ground plus Mynt's earnings on GCASH. Growth is also seen on the mobile business, reaching pre-pandemic numbers during the second quarter of 2023 despite extended macroeconomic pressures in PH business conditions and lower voice and text usage in the country.  

Globe also announced their succesful SIM registration efforts getting 99% of their revenue generating base. That's over 53.7 Million registrants since the government implemented it. This is 62 percent of their total number of subscribers, which is already high than their expected turnout and last ditch efforts last month.

Their Fiber business for home got 12.8 Billion Pesos in revenue, but is expecting to have 10% decline on fixed wireless lines. Globe also launched the GFiber Prepaid lines to cushion this impact, and will service a lot of Filipinos with the no tie up and unlimited data use promotions they are implementing for it. They also have a buy now pay later option (on GCash) to make sure it reaches an even wider demographic to serviceable areas in the country. All of these are being managed through the Globe One App, which proved convenient for me (used as a backup).

They are also ramping up corporate data services and are already seeing a 9.1 Billion Peso Data Revenue during the first half of 2023. This includes cloud, business apps, cybersecurity, data center and IOT services that they also offer.   

This event was attended by Ernest Cu the CEO of Globe, Globe's Chief Commercial Officer Issa Guevarra-Cabrera, Globe's Chief Transformation and Customer Experience Officer Rebecca Eclipse, Head of Consumer Mobile Officer Darius Delgado, Globe Group General Counsel Atty. Froilan Castelo, the VP Corporate Finance Carlo Uno, their Head of Network Technical Group Joel Agustin, VP Broadband Business Raymond Policarpio, President of Mynt - GCash Ms. Martha Sazon, CFO of Mynt Tek Olanio, Managing Director of 917Ventures Vince Gamat, CEO and President of ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) Philippines Carlo Malana.

Globe is continuing their commitment in delivering the best and reliable connectivity to all their customers, whether wireless or fixed lines. They remain optimistic in spite of expected slow down in the economy this year, and in 2024.

GCash Insider Sessions Showcase Partner Solutions

It was a nice evening of letting GCash users know that there's more to the app than meets the eye during the GCash Insider sessions at XYLO in BGC. They called it Passion Forward, where harnessing consumer behavior for business success is being encouraged. GCash has really gone beyond just finance (and your ability to conveniently transfer funds) and show you how your passions can also be used to increase profit from your businesses, level up what you've been doing by utilizing their various solutions designed specifically for their partners no matte how big you are.

 

One of their guests Ms. Weng Rivera the Head of Travel for AirAsia Super App says "We are most decorated low cost carrier and in 2019 a lot of you have been traveling before the pandemic struck. It put us, our ground crew, and air personnel in a limbo. It was one opportunity to put one of our core values in front, we brought fresh produce to different places across the region helping out and opening doors in the country. Employees were given funds so they could put up their businesses, we didn't want to waste a crisis. A lot of things were uncertain, so we converted our usual airline to a more travel inclined super app, and people were ready for it. Hence, we became a digital airline quite fast. Now it's got flight, hotels, shops, transportation, ride, super plus, and rewards system in place. We now can connect you via land or sea, have more flights and redeem points every time you travel. Go download the app today and enjoy the discounts, travel is back with a vengeance! With GCash, we are now able to increase transactions and make travel affordable, and accessible. It is also our advertising platform, an effective one at that as it directly correlates with GCash transactions."

Mr. Franco Pantangco the Business Development and Partnership Lead of mgames also discussed about Hyper Casual Games where you compete, play and get rewards. In GCash initiatives, there are now in app advertising which resulted in phenomenal growth on engaging with GLife users, coming from leads of successful campaigns. It's a multifaceted segment, and their next move is to utilize mgames partnership with Tempo that also utilizes all Filipino music. 

Improvements to the app will certainly continue and they plan to use AI technologies to further fuel your passions with solutions that effectively increase what you can do with your business, make it easy use and safe at all points of transaction. If you want to see what they can do for you, head on to beta.gcash.com/partner-solutions and be connected to existing GCash users worldwide!

What's your GCash Story?

It was a hot day but nothing that could hamper us from watching #GCashStories. I'm sure you've got your own GCash stories too but today it was about a new individual who definitely pulled heartstrings at the venue.

The first one was about a man who lost his job and resorted to drinking. He was lost, but his family suggested to put his love for coffee to good use and made it a business. GCash made it easy to accept payments, buy stocks and rebuild his life again. It was about hope and perseverance. 

There are about 79 Million+ GCash users here and around the globe who also have stories of their own.  His remarkable story inspired a lot of people to post their own stories. They knew every story, big or small should be told.

The new one is about Alma (who was also there at the venue). She's a humble photocopier from Ateneo. Her love for students who she treats like her own was a story of love and care. When typhoon struck, she got her home flooded. Students who she cared for her where obviously was looking for her, but she couldn't go to work since she needed to clean up with her family. The students knew about it, and organized a fundraiser to help her get back on her feet. She was able to fend for her family because the people she cared for helped her back. She went back to work and got surprised as everyone was there to welcome her. She also got to build a new home. It was certainly a touching story. 

We can relate to Alma at one way or the other, and just like her you too have your own story. Believe it or not, her panggas were also there in the GCash event to see her story immortalized by Antonette Jadaone. She helped change their lives, and they changed her life too.

How about you? What's your GCash story?

GCash Announces 10 New Groundbreaking Tech for the App

Had a lot of fun over at the GCash #GCashFutureCast event at Whitespace in Makati. GCash CEO Martha Sazon says "I'm excited to see you all live and seeing you all feels very special. Are you excited? We'll be telling you a few groundbreaking things, to where we are bringing Fintech for all Filipinos. Financial inclusion is a right, we empowered you all in your everyday purchases, to adapt to a new behavior, so thank you for your trust. We are a companion to 70 percent Filipinos, merchants, OFW's, and has become part of your digital lifestyle. This is part of our customers needs. We are now a consumer app bringing innovation for good, helping Filipinos giving access to those who needed it most. We are the first and only duacorn in the country, and one of the few profitable fintechs in the world, especially Asia. I don't wanna brag, we are 6x more than the next finance app. Our journey is far from over, we want to win every Filipino whenever and wherever they are, to make everyday lives better. To be future-ready so you get finance for all!"

Chief Tech Officer Pebbles Sy says "We believe financial inclusion addresses barriers, and we put customers in the forefront. We want you to be safer and MORE secure. Beyond enabling you with GSave, we brought G Crypto, do GScore, serve Filipinos here and around the world. We also have G Overseas, and two things, security is out priority. Despite our measures, 1 in 2 Million users are being affected, so we stepped up our efforts with GCash Doublesafe. Only you can access your GCash account when it's shared, this is another layer of security when you manage the account. 

Michelle Fernandez who heads Digital Experience says "We spent a lot of time thinking of what you need, we think about what you use everyday. Most often than not, it's sending money. Previously it would take a transaction 11 steps, now you can skip saving those screenshots in your app. We're introducing GChat, so you can message anyone inside the app. All those receipts will be generated in the chat with you, you don't have to have phone storage to save you, all the right messages to the right people. Online receipts are available, you can even chat with merchants, this is where we will send messages and communication, simple and made just for you. This will revolutionize the way you manage your wealth."

Darwin Sy Su the head of Wealth  Management says "According the BSP, there are only 1% of the population that are part of the stock market. Problems lie in the fact that there are tons of paperwork, tons of steps, and need to open a bank account. You need multiple platforms, no one stop shop, you can't do it on break, while at work or on your phone... Plus it's very intimidating, seen as a thing for rich people. In the past, you need 25K to own one, but now it's easy and accessible with the new GSTOCKS PH. We made stock trading easy. It's now digital, seamless, no paperwork and easy. The screens on trading are easy to understand, easy to transfer money from your account to your wallet. Information about your investment and is powered by AB Capital. Now anyone can invest in over 280 companies listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange. You don't need a bank account, just top up for FREE, then WITHDRAW FREE in three steps. Buying stocks is also easy by tapping on the stock, indicate the number of stocks you want to buy or sell then place the order. We will be there with you every step of the way, we will have education about it on board if you are just beginning. This is an exciting era of trading through GStocks PH. Now you can do right investments, to help you achieve financial freedom."

Winsley Bangit Head of New Businesses say "During the pandemic, online shopping was an all time high for it's flexibility and convenience. Every budol sparks joy, but we do know there are dangers and risks in these transactions. Insurance has always been expensive, too complex and difficult to sign up, but now you can worry no more with GInsure powered by CHUBB. 60 days, 20K coverage, 34 pesos monthly. If sellers don't respond within 2 days and don't give a refund, this can protect you in your online deals. Everytime you make a transaction, just tick a box on insurance when you use the app. You can also track your claim upon approval of your documents, which usually takes 3 days. It's guaranteed to protect you minus the risk."

Mark Nunez of Crypto Partnerships tells us "PH is paving the way for web3 globally, 11 Million owns crypto and NFT's, we are 7th in the world. It can bridge generations by owning art. Now we have GCrypto. We are also giving you first dibs on Reen Barrera's NFT's."

Vincent Tio adds "It's complicated to understand Crypto, GCrypto makes it easy."

Kevin Yu the Product Head for GLoan says "A lot of you have been doing the same thing everyday. The world is increasingly connected and we are first in gaming, TV Content and 4th in data usage. GCash is making it more accessible through "BORROW LOAD". You now don't need to go to the store, now you can access it on the app, with 99 peso promos coming soon. You can subscribe and pay for it in 14 days, so you can get access if budget is tight."

"GGives on the other hand is a product where you can upgrade your life, with the power of zero. Zero credit cards, downpayment, additional documents, interest, you can live comfortably with a budget of 125K, up to 24 months installment if you purchase it with GGives."

Fe Olivia Mir of their Growth Marketing says "People have been on a revenge travel. There are transaction fees you tend to forget about and it could be costly. This time, we are introducing GCash Global Pay. You can pay with the GCash App with Alipay+ so you can pay without service fees in confirmed countries, and will expand soon! Another one is the GCash Card, you can use this with low service fees, access funds in a swipe, especially now with our new GCash Visa Card. With it, you can travel cashless when available. GCash will be there with you!"

GCash Overseas on the other hand is their remittance service. With over 36 Billion dollars sent to the PH, which is 4th highest in the world. Now with it, you can download the app with an app, it is easier and less expensive, free for GCash to GCash transactions. You can also pay for billers, you can also buy load on the GCash Overseas app and reguster using your international sim. This has been available in several countries since last month.

These are 10 groundbreaking developments in the Gcash app. If you are interested in availing their services, go download the Gcash app today!

Congratulations on these new milestones!

The GCash Story Told at MWC in Barcelona

GCash took the spotlight at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Spain as they talked about "New Behavior for a New Reality". Telling the story of the e-wallet giant was Ms. Martha Sazon the President and CEO of GCash. Together with her was Tjodolf Sommestad the President of King (of Candy Crush came) and Lauren Kunze the CEO of Iconiq (Pandorabots and AI), whilst the session was moderated by Ralph Simon the Founder and CEO of Mobilium.

Rowie Zamora the CSO of GCash says "This is groundbreaking for the company. Martha will tell the GCash story, what happened during and after the pandemic. This is a story about our people, and bringing the whole Fintech and PH in the global stage. It's a story of hope for our kababayans through our work at GCash and our goal of financial freedom for all."

Ms. Martha says "The Philippines was challenged when the pandemic closed down businesses, left people jobless, and financial exclusion happened in the country. Investments, insurance, are not accessible. Our vision is finance for all, it leads to economic progress and freedom. We built the largest digital ecosystem with local and international business partners. Now it's used for payments, lending, insurance, and powers a dream. We became a part of people's lives, and even made it describe a transaction "I-GCash mo na Yan!". For GCash in 2022, we had 40 million transactions happen. We help entrepreneur survive and flourish. Even students started to raise funds for aid, even OFW's have access to buy their families surprise packages, groceries just like if they were there. People can now grow their money for less than a dollar, invest in local and international companies through the app. Aside from that, they can also save, be insured as we have partnered with 10 of the biggest insurance companies in the world. We let them access fair lending, not to loan sharks, but do it with GScore to deliver innovation for good. We also have GForest, every transaction let you earn green points and plant trees across the country. When the pandemic hit, we were there for our customers. Our vision, collaboration, let us uplift the lives of Filipinos. Our journey is far from over, we need to be there for more underserved segments, to Filipinos wherever they are. This is our GCash story."

It was certainly nice to see how GCash has transformed the way we do things in the country, to hopefully bring inspiration to more people around the globe. I was so happy to see that one of the biggest fintech companies in the Philippines just put the country in the Mobile World Congress map, and I hope this starts financial freedom for others too! 

Congratulations GCash! 

GCash and GRAB Partner Up for Seamless Transactions

GCash and Grab earlier just made things easier as they forge a partnership in all their services.

Renren Reyes of Gcash says "This is another milestone, it's our responsibility to partner with like minded brands to continue to reach more customers nationwide. GCash is now going to be a key cashless partner payment with GRAB. We are excited to make available in transport and food deliveries by linking the GCash wallet with your Grab accounts. This will make your everyday lives better as it is seamless and convenient."

Martha Elaine Borja the President of Grab Philippines says "Good morning, we are really excited to partner together through cashless payments, GCash can now have the payment method as a payment partner on our app. With GCash, we would be able to make it easier for more Filipinos do cashless and secure payments to thrive in a digital first economy. This is a first in the transport and digital payment sector in the country. The grab and gcash collaboration will further improve financial inclusion in the country "

This will be a direct payment option, to link your GCash just select account, payment method, enter your details and link. You can then pay directly with GCash your transport, food and delivery services. It is seamless and convenient. Things will start on February and only going to be implemented in the Philippines.

GCASH Launches New Products in Loans, Finance, and Insurance Services

This morning was a little nice courtesy of our friends from GCASH. The number one financial app is gearing towards more services that offer financial freedom and capacity to grow your business (especially for SME's), grow your own money, insure your properties and life, and even lend you some money if you need it.

The only challenge is to have this be available for everyone, and this is where the GCASH app comes in. This is something that can unlock your financial goals, the tools that does it all. It's the electronic wallet that does payments and seamless transactions and there's no time to do it but now. They're glad to know that people are using the name GCASH synonymous with payment, and they're introducing these new services to cater to more people that want innovation.

Easy, accessible and affordable, they introduce GLoan. Tony Isidro the CEO of Fuse Lending Inc. says "Over half of Filipinos have banking access, but only 20 percent acquire loans. If they need one, they borrow from friends, loan sharks, which puts them in disadvantage sometimes. GCash wants finance for all, so now we're introducing lending products that are transparent and fair. GLoan is something that goes to your wallet without filling up any documents. If you are qualified, just go to GLoan section on the app and get it instantly. You can use it to pay for bills, essentials, shopping, tuition, or other products and services. You can also use it for capital. There's also GGives, which you can use to pay for products without having a credit card. You can pay for it in 12 months, and there are various commercial establishments and partner merchants that accept it. You can buy furniture, TV, go out without any down payment needed. Our goal is giving everyone access to finance, it's finance for all."

Jong Layug the current Head of Wealth Management introduced existing GSave. He says "This helps people save, go without piggy banks, keeping money at home, and CIMB does a good job managing funds. You also earn interest, allows consumers to save instead of just keeping it stagnant. It's also protected by PDIC and helps you keep it safely. One out of 5 Filipinos already have a GSave account, and growing more. People also want to invest, which is why we have BPI and ATRAM so they could do investments. From local and global funds, you can start growing your wealth so you could achieve your financial goals conveniently. You can expect more in the next few months."

Head of GCash New Business Neil Trinidad introduces GInsure. Access to it is a little problematic in the Philippines because it's expensive, inaccessible, and people think they don't need it. He says "More people find insurance relevant now especially Gen Z's. GInsure is easy to discover and is in one marketplace, if you need it for live or non life items, 14 right now is available, it's affordable, and is offered in different price points. Even cover dengue and COVID for only 300 pesos. We want it easy for people to purchase, and now it takes 2 minutes to do that. This enables access for more Filipinos, our mission is to make partnerships that cover life, non-life, vehicle, even bill protect. We also have insurance plans for businesses, you can even gift it to others, and soon it'll cover policies for employees, MSME's, evolving everyday. 4 out of 10 Filipinos now have a pet, and now Pet Insurance is also available. There's also Online Shopping Insurance, so those retail frauds can be resolved fast, all in GInsure." 

Here's excerpts from the press conference this morning

 

A lot of Filipinos will surely benefit from this, so if you're in the mood to be one of them, go download the app on the App store or Google Play today!

Send Money FREE with GCash Padala

I'm sure a lot of you are using GCash for your transactions during this ECQ. It's convenient, you don't have to go to banks anymore and do it in the palm of your hand with just a few screen presses. Aside from that, it's secure and cheap, costs free most of the time and you get to help a lot of people who are in dire straights during the pandemic.

See, there's a new service in the GCash app called GCash Padala. It's a way for your non e-wallet using friends or family to receive money in an instant that's affordable, fast and easy. They are also waiving Padala fees from August 6 to 20 because it's ECQ. On a normal day, they only charge up to 1% on 500 peso minimum send which is already cheap by any standard. To claim it, they just need 1 valid ID and present it to 2000 GCash Padala partner shops like Posible, Go VIP Center, Tambunting Pawnshops, Panalo Express and tons of other pera outlet and sarisari stores nationwide.

Senders just log in on the GCash app and use the GCash Padala section. You just put in the full name, mobile number and the amount on it. You need to confirm and pay for the fees with the amount you have in your GCash wallet and send it. You'll get a reference number for the transaction together with notifications to both parties real time if it has been done. That's reassuring.

If you wanna know more, visit go.gcash.com/padala or gcash.com/services/padala and see how you can take advantage of it during these times. Quite easy no?

GCash To Hold 2nd Money Talks: On Passion and How To Grow Your Savings

I've been doing a lot of investing in the GInvest section of the GCash app. They have launched this in 2019, but just recently, they've been teaching and leading ways in how ordinary people like you and me can actually invest in different funds. If you're 18 years old and up plus a valid identification card, you can start doing it now for as low as Php 50. Crazy and impossible as it may seem, it's true and I was able to earn a few hundred pesos in the first few days of doing it. 

They did a talk a couple weeks ago and it proved to be very successful and it did encourage a lot of Filipinos to start considering investments in their portfolio rather than just putting it on a savings account from their banks. I've learned to have a specific part of my money on moderate kind of investments while putting my extras in aggressive type ones. Make sure you answer the risk assessment questionnaire when you sign up for it so you've got a grasp of how you can diversify it because it'll be a little dangerous if you put your money in one basket these days. 

 

 

Anyway, the folks at GCash are still at it. They're holding another episode this coming June 23 at 8PM on their official Facebook page. It'll be a bit more interesting as their guest Chinkee Tan will be talking more about the ins and out of investing. He's also going to answer if you have some of the weirdest questions because I'm sure, you've heard a lot of stories about investing wherein you're not sure whether it's true or not. The program will be hosted by Jaz Reyes and there will be gamers,Tiktok stars that will also join in the conversation as they too have tried doing investments on the GInvest platform. 

Just search GCashOfficial on Facebook and it'll take you to the page, watch the stream that comes out 8PM and start learning with me. I'm going to be there! :)

GCash Futurecast 2021: Unlocking Innovations

Just got off the GCASH event called Futurecast 2021 and they pronounced some really good news about their financial app.

So really, what's next?

The goal is to bring you better solutions and better lives. Martha Sazon the CEO of GCash says "We all know the past year has been a struggle, we are still coping. We want you to know that GCash is your buddy through all of this, since the lockdown, I too haven't had the chance to meet my whole team but we focused on hwo to make Filipinos lives better. We can be there in times of need, for paying bills, for donating, everyday transactions, our user base now doubled. Currently we have 38 million Filipinos use our app. We are the number one financial app in the country and we strive to further improve our services. Not only to consumers, merchants, even the government. We empowered people through our cashless payments, we have registered social sellers, even sari sari stores and tricycle drivers now accept GCash. This amounts 16B to almost 2 Million Filipinos. The government saved a lot through GCash and now, we are collecting typhoon and COVID drives because we are secure and seamless. We know Titas of Manila need to learn how to use it, teaching them is an easy task. Families, people from far flung areas have no access to finances, but all Filipinos deserve to save, invest and grow their money. We believe GCash everyday will be possible, lifestyle, entrepreneurship.

GLife is where users can now transact with their favorite brands. Buy, transact and subscribe without downloading other apps, because it's all in on the GLife section of your GCash app. We give you deals, the best ones in the market. 

Social sellers can use their personal QR to make transactions easy, to send money and pay bills with it. Wanting to not leave anyone behind, you can do paytime and playtime with it. You can have several companies (35 of them!) providing entertainment, shopping, food, without downloading their individual app and costing space on your phone because it is accessible through GLife. I've tried purchasing chicken when it came out, it was such a deal!

Financial Services

Equal chance for a brighter future. Doesn't that sound promising? In a nutshell, they've got these services running inside the GCash app. They're still developing the platform and promise to bring more services in the future, here's what they currently have:

GSave has the highest interest rate in the country, insured by PDIC, you can also be assured with what you deposit.

GCredit can give you access to cash when you need it

GInvest can get you to invest with as low as 50 pesos.

GInsure can also get you insurance including coverage of COVID.

GForest gets you the chance to also plant trees while doing several things in the app.


Their goal is to make Filipinos live better, and I think that is achievable. PureGo for groceries, Lazada for Shopping, Gawin for household help, Fully Booked for your favorite titles, Goama Games for your gaming needs, Gadgets at Datablitz, Bo's Coffe, Gong Cha, Mc Donalds, Tapa King, tons of them are listed and you can set favorites when you feel the need to. Oh and if you see the deals, it's unbelievable especially for the 50% OFF I've experienced a couple of times.

Entrepreneurship

Local farmer, fishermen, tricycle, medium sized companies, no matter what we do and what we are, they want to help every Filipino entrepreneur do cashless and safe transactions through GCash. Fe Mir the GCash Marketing Head says "People are looking for new opportunities to keep their business afloat. The business of every enterprise in the country is a personal one, we want to help you in the new normal. GCash Pro can give easy payment solutions, it's secure and we want to help entrepreneurs improve their business. Platforms have their eCommerce activity exploding, we made QR on demand so you can receive money accurately. We have so many business solutions and businesses can go to our GCash Merchant Portal so you can submit requirements online and hassle free. We will be adding credit and other options soon. We want you to have Finance for All. We want to have a GCash option in every convenience store, sari sari store and Tricycle soon."

Finance for All

38 Million Filipinos have financial potential and GCash through GInvest can be accessible to all. You can get your money to work with you. GSave is fully digital and hassle free, only needs one ID for it to be verified. GSave also doesn't need any maintaining balance, interest rates are competitive (4% per year) and saving regularly would be a good thing. If you need an emergency fund or vacation funds, a lot of people have already opened a GSave account (over 3M actually). GInvest on the other hand allows you to invest in local or international funds. It need not to be complicated, and GInvest allows you to do that even for 50 pesos. Fund managers from reputable companies allow you to invest in 5 different types of corporations. It's also easy to monitor because it shows graphs on the GCash app itself. In just a few taps, you can now access these services without going through the agonizing paperwork needed for investments.

GInsure makes Insurance easy to purchase, manage and become affordable. This is their partnership with Singlife, with less than 50 pesos a month, you get covered from Dengue and now, cover Covid 19 as well. You can insure your self or your family for this. In the app, you can buy in a simple and straight forward way, soon to have vehicle, travel and property (which will be rolled out soon).

GCredit is cash that can be borrowed. With your GCash transactions, you can use it to build small businesses (like a micro loan) and earn from it during a pandemic. They've shown proof that it is possible during the event when a woman borrowed money and used it for a food business. She grew the amount and had her husband help her make it become a sustainable business today which now provides for their everyday needs and the needs of their children.

GForest is a small little game inside the GCash app that will help reforest places in the country. To date, their goal is to have 500K trees to be planted, and there will be more no matter what season. They are partnering with environmental groups and organizations so they too can get help with this digital bayanihan method.

GLife provides things you need at a click of a button. These services are available now on the GCash app, so if you haven't downloaded it yet, maybe the time is now.

Investing Through GInvest

 

You've been working hard for the money and save in the bank, but is that enough? Have you ever wondered how easy it was to invest these days? No? Well let me tell you about GInvest.

GInvest is the investment feature on your GCash app. If you're transferring funds or doing transactions with it, you probably have seen this option already. Now how easy is it to grow your money? Well, that depends. My rule of thumb in investing is putting in funds that I don't necessarily need immediately. Is it possible that you could lose money in investing? Yes of course, but in this case, GInvest has some professional fund managers that do the legwork for you. This means, in some ways, risk is lessened than compared with regular stock market work. You just have to have the funds for it. 

Registration is easy as it includes a verified email address and a risk assessment questionnaire. It basically tells your fund managers how aggressive or safe you want to invest your money. Doing subscriptions (buying stocks) can cost as low as Php 50. As in any investment, returns are not guaranteed but if your fund manager is doing a good job, you'll see your funds flourish. I kinda already have mutual fund investments via banks and they're the same people that manages GInvest. What's good is that in GInvest, they don't have transaction fees and it's easy to understand. Beginners who would want to dip their hands into investments can do it now without dishing out much money for it. But again, if you have more subscriptions and the investments do well, you'll get more out of it. In this day and age, putting your money on banks and letting it sit for years isn't actually the wisest decision you would ever make. If I have invested early on I could have had even more earnings now because so far, I'm doing quite good. As a matter of fact, I'm actually pretty happy about it and I plan to actually have more subscriptions in the days to come now that people would have interest in investing through GCash and GInvest. 

Oh and before I do forget, if you want to know more about GInvest, they'll be having an event tomorrow at 8PM. Just visit the GCash Facebook page and watch their livestream. You can learn how to invest even if you're just starting. Watch here if you're a little lazy LOL! https://fb.me/e/44yKPu274

I'll be there too so see you!

A Full Online December MMFF this 2020

MMFF is the annual festival that is held every year and this Christmas, MMDA and their partners would want to end it with a happy note. There are other opportunities and platforms so they partnered up with Globe and make it possible for them to pursue showcasing our movies to a worldiwde audience via Upstream and pay via GCash for the tickets in G Movies. 

Danilo Lim the MMDA Chairman says “The MMFF is part of Christmas, a tradition and in this pandemic we will never let it not happen. We got 5 outfits who sent their plans and Globe is the most attractive one. The plan is not just to make the Filipino homes happy, but bring this worldwide! What we have been doing will now be virtually done, from premieres, launches, with health protocols observed. We can watch these films at home, to present these movies online.”

Ernest Cu the Chairman of Globe says “We almost didn’t experience this year’s MMFF as audiences await their favorite artists to appear on screen. Movie houses may not be the best place to gather and in Globe we try our very best to provide solutions, to recreate the Christmas we love digitally with our partner Upstream so millions of Pinoys around the world can access it virtually, and access it on Video on Demand. We also are fighting online piracy, illegal streaming and copying of content, but on our campaign we try to educate more. To not affect the livelihood of content creators, film makers and their families, to lose that and not be able to put out good quality films today. We are one of the first companies to promote great Filipino films to the global audience through GMovies. We thank the MMDA and we hope to bring more cheers to Filipino homes and keep the spirit of the holidays alive. Globe has always been able to deliver like GCash in the market, it will also have gaming, goods through the app itself. Using our technology of Gcash, GMovies and Upstream, we can now watch in our homes bringing solution to Filipinos for their everyday needs. The MMFF is important to not deprive our industry of an outlet, a medium to also earn a living. We try to bring also our film makers to a global stage, to make them thrive and grow. We can bring the Filipino content to the likes of South Korea, it all starts with a dream!”

Quark Henares says “You will now be able to watch through Upstream all the content til the MMFF season. To signify the signing of these documents, we raise our mobile phones on screen to officially start it.”

“G Movies now has a new feature, the new platform initially just offer tickets. This pandemic, we offer new ways to access content by using a few taps starting November 14, we partner with Globe, Upstream and MMDA to make this possible. We spent with the Upstream team to discover content, make this seamless and easy to use. We will also be using Gcash for payments to make it more accessible to the public. Potentially to pay everything over the counter.”

Dondon Monteverde says “We are happy that amidst the uncertainty, we opened up this venture to connect with Globe’s infrastructure to now be able to stream it here in the Philippines and abroad! This is a big deal to entertain our audience, this platform was made for content producers. To bring it abroad. For those who are excited we are bringing this to you, we hope for your support in the continuance of MMFF 2020, right at your own homes. Right now we are attacking things differently, with the strong infrastructure of Globe our material is already going out to our audience. We are taking it a step at a time, to bring it all to Filipinos.” 

According to the MMDA “We have 4 official entries per script but deadline has been extended to finalize everything mid November. The price of tickets will be 250 pesos and the whole family can watch in one device without going out in the cinemas. Also, there will be a virtual parade of stars so you won’t miss anything at all. So guys, are you ready for the new December MMFF 2020? 

This will be good!