GCash, the country’s leading e-wallet, has expanded its services in 16 markets around the world, targeting 10 million Filipinos living and working abroad.
The company said GCash Overseas is now available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Qatar, Kuwait, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia.
“We are now in 13 countries, US, Canada, UK, Australia, Italy, Japan, Germany, Spain, UAE, Qatar, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea. So the three more will be Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Singapore by April,” Paul Albano, general manager of GCash International said.
Filipinos abroad can now download and use the GCash app, whether they have Philippine SIMs or local mobile phone numbers in the countries or territories where they live.
“We recognize the financial needs of over 13 million Filipinos living abroad. With GCash now available beyond the Philippines, we are responding to the needs of global Filipinos in these cashless digital economies, providing them with a safe, secure, and efficient fintech solution to send money back home,”Albano said,.
The availability of GCash in the 16 key markets worldwide allows overseas Filipinos to: send money to loved ones anytime anywhere; pay bills and be in complete control of where the money is going, including household utilities, tuition, and taxes, among others; and purchase mobile phone load for loved ones to stay connected via chat or video calls.
“We want to expand to more countries, but these 16 countries already account for more than 80 percent of the remittances of our Filipino kababayans,” Albano said.
Some 10 million Filipinos work overseas around the world at present.
“Hopefully, we get all the 10 million into using GCash overseas. Which is the same GCash app except local mobile number lang nila in the countries that they’re located,” Albano said.
Beyond enabling Filipinos around the world with a secure platform to transfer money back home, GCash is also offering other services, including savings, gifting vouchers, and online payments.
To reach more overseas Filipino workers, GCash is teaming up with Ikon Solutions Asia, Inc., a licensed recruitment agency, to ensure OFWs are equipped with much-needed digital financial services through the app.
The Philippine fintech leader has also partnered with global payments platform Alipay+.
With Global Pay, GCash is now a viable channel to pay over three million Alipay+-enabled merchants in 17 countries and territories around the world, including Japan, South Korea, and Singapore in the Asia-Pacific region; Qatar and United Arab Emirates in the Middle East, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom in Europe, and in the United States—all with the benefit of low foreign exchange rates and zero service fees. Moreover, the service was recently integrated with the national QRs of Malaysia and South Korea, making scanning to pay even more seamless in these countries.
The company has also partnered with international payments giant Visa, providing GCash users with another cashless payment method outside of the Philippines. The new GCash Visa card offers another payment option anywhere in the world.
“We’ve enabled access to Finance through a service that’s enjoyed currently by 94 million Filipinos, and our international expansion allows us to serve millions more. We’re confident that our innovation and strategic partnerships will allow us to provide seamless financial services to Filipinos anywhere in the world. This is only the first step as we grow our presence internationally,” Albano said.
