Finance

Mastercard will start accepting cryptocurrencies this year

No word on what cryptos yet

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Because of the recent rise of Dogecoin, cryptocurrencies are once again in the spotlight. Despite their seesawing popularity throughout the years, the digital currency is here to stay. Thankfully, larger financial firms are starting to accept the new currency into their gallery of services. Today, Mastercard has announced that it will accept some cryptocurrencies going forward.

As reported by Reuters, Mastercard will start accepting select currencies into its network later this year. Even without the recent announcement, the company already takes the digital currency, albeit indirectly. This time, the card company will fully support it going forward.

Unfortunately, Mastercard has not announced when the support is coming. The company has also neglected to share which cryptocurrencies will come to Mastercard. Most likely, it will support the most popular cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. Given its popularity, the company might even support the latest craze, Dogecoin.

Recently, Dogecoin raised its value drastically because of Reddit’s recent blitz against the stock market. Random cryptocurrencies and stocks suddenly experienced massive surges in the past few weeks.

In other cryptocurrency-related news, Elon Musk’s Tesla has also started accepting cryptocurrencies as a mode of payment. The billionaire has also invested US$ 1.5 billion in Bitcoin, marking a huge investment in the currency.

SEE ALSO: Mastercard is the 30th SEA Games app payment provider

Finance

GCash future-proofs MSMEs with new payment innovations

GCash EasyPOS, SoundPay Plus

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GCash micro-merchants

GCash is future-proofing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with new customer-first payment innovations. This, as the Philippines continues to become a digital payments nation.

The app expanded its suite of solutions to make digital payments more accessible, convenient, and secure for merchants.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all solution, GCash has payment devices designed for different business sizes and ways of operating.

One is the GCash EasyPOS, an all-in-one terminal for medium and even large enterprises. This accepts QRPh, Visa, and Mastercard payments and also supports features like digital receipts, refunds, settlements, and transaction monitoring.

Meanwhile, GCash SoundPay Plus is designed for micro and small merchants, specially in the retail and F&B sectors. It combines QR payments, card acceptance, and instant voice confirmation so merchants can immediately check when a payment pushes through.

The rollout of these two solutions builds on earlier solutions GCash introduced, including PocketPay and SoundPay.

PocketPay is designed for MSMEs, bazaar or pop-up merchants, and mobile sellers who take their products and services wherever their customers are.

It turns an NFC-enabled Android smartphone into a contactless card terminal. This makes payments easy and affordable — without investing in additional hardware.

SoundPay, meanwhile, is a portable QR payment device that provides instant voice confirmation for every transaction.

According to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), 57.4% of retail payment transactions by volume were made digitally in 2024.

The central bank is targeting a digital payment share of 60% to 70% by 2028, with businesses increasingly expected to support cashless transactions.

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Finance

GoTyme Bank grows to 10 million users in the Philippines

Over US$ 859.4 million in customer deposits

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GoTyme Bank has reached the 10 million-user milestone in the Philippines, one of its key markets.

A joint venture between the parent Tyme Group and the the local Gokongwei Group, the digital bank has officially grown to 10 million strong, its latest accomplishment after debuting in the country three years ago.

The milestone is backed by over PhP 53 billion (~859.4 million) in customer deposits and sustained engagement across the GoTyme Bank ecosystem.

A core driver of the bank’s rapid growth is its integration into users’ daily financial habits. GoTyme was the Most Used Visa Debit Card in the Philippines, based on Visa debit active usage data in 2025.

The bank has also offered free InstaPay transfers from the start (capped at 20 transactions a month) for greater flexibility. There are also more than 160 billers on the app.

Complementing the digital-first infrastructure is an extensive physical network. There are now more than 600 kiosks in major malls nationwide.

Customers can also conveniently deposit and withdraw cash through more than 2,500 Robinsons Retail store lanes. Cash deposit is also allowed through more than 4,500 7-Eleven stores nationwide.

Among GoTyme’s recent offerings is MoreTyme, a flexible, transparent, and easy-to-understand credit solution.

Through Visa, GoTyme also took part in FIFA World Cup 2026 campaigns, with raffle winners being flown to watch the matches live.

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Finance

UnionDigital Bank, Chubb partner for accessible insurance protection

Chubb insurance products now integrated into UD app

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UnionDigital Bank and Chubb Philippines have partnered to bring accessible insurance protection to Filipinos.

The strategic partnership integrates Chubb’s insurance solutions directly on the UD app. These comprehensive solutions will be seen among UD’s suite of financial products. That way, insurance protection becomes more accessible for consumers.

The two key insurance products in the initial rollout are Loan Protect Insurance and Kaya Protect Insurance.

The first product is automatically included for eligible UD loan borrowers at no additional cost for the first three months once the loan is approved.

In the event of accidental death, permanent disability, temporary disability, or death due to illness, Loan Protect Insurance pays up to the original loan amount to cover 100% of the customer’s outstanding loan balance.

Any remaining balance is released to beneficiaries. Loan Protect Insurance is currently available for loans up to PhP 30,000 with short-term repayment periods.

Meanwhile, Kaya Protect Insurance will be available soon. This provides personal accident and accidental death coverage up to PhP 150,000 and is activated automatically by maintaining a low minimum balance of PhP 100 in the insured’s savings account.

The partnership between UnionDigital Bank and Chubb aims to address the protection gap, as according to a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) survey, 48% of adult Filipinos are currently uninsured.

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