Maya, the country’s top digital bank and fintech ecosystem, has unveiled Paleng-Kita, a new credit program aimed at providing micro and small business owners—particularly market vendors and public transport drivers—with access to fair, collateral-free loans.
Launched under the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) Paleng-QR Ph initiative, Paleng-Kita links everyday digital transactions with credit eligibility. By encouraging users to regularly use QR Ph and the Maya app, the program helps them build a credible financial profile based on cashless transaction history, rather than traditional credit checks.
“Many small vendors and transport drivers have never had access to formal credit,” said Shailesh Baidwan, Maya Group president and Maya Bank co-founder. “By using their cashless payment history, we can offer them fair, transparent credit and help them build a stronger financial future.”
Through Maya Advance, borrowers can access digital credit lines starting at ₱3,000. The program relies on Maya’s AI-driven scoring system, which evaluates payment data and alternative indicators—eliminating the need for collateral or paperwork.
The program responds to a critical financing gap: though micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) account for 99 percent of Philippine businesses, they receive just 4 percent of total bank lending, according to the Department of Trade and Industry. Paleng-Kita seeks to change that by helping micro-entrepreneurs prove their creditworthiness through daily business activity.
Early beneficiaries like Jovelyn Abordo and Jocelyn Solivio from Cadiz City Public Market have already used the program to grow their businesses. “Satisfied po ako. Magaan ang pera sa Maya,” said Abordo. “Ginamit ko ito sa aming business.”
Renan Santiago, Maya’s head of MSME Business, emphasized that the program is about more than just loans: “By using their digital payment activity, we’re making finance more accessible, more relevant, and more empowering for everyday Filipinos.”
By embedding credit into digital payment usage, Maya supports BSP’s digitalization agenda and helps bring underserved entrepreneurs into the formal financial ecosystem.
