Singapore – Major telco player Singtel has announced that it intends to sell its mobile wallet Dash to Western Union. As the sale is subject to regulatory approvals, Singtel assures that Dash customers will continue to have access to all existing services in the meantime.

Launched in 2014, Dash is an all-in-one mobile wallet that lets customers pay, remit, save, invest and insure from one app. Currently, it has it has over 1.4 million users and is available to everyone regardless of their telco or banking relationship.

For Singtel, the sale is part of their ongoing measures to simplify its structure and portfolio to boost innovation and growth opportunities.

Moreover, the acquisition aligns to Western Union’s purpose to provide accessible financial services to aspiring populations worldwide. It underscores Western Union’s Evolve 2025 strategy to expand its financial ecosystem, as well as double its digital business by focusing on product innovation and scalable market investments.

Anna Yip, deputy CEO of Singtel Singapore, said, “In line with our Group’s Singtel28 strategy to focus on our core business and competencies, we have decided that Western Union is best placed to bring Dash to the next level. We will work closely with Western Union to ensure that our Dash customers and business partners continue to be well-supported and the transition is seamless.”

Meanwhile, Sohini Rajola, head of Asia-Pacific at Western Union, commented, “We are excited to have the opportunity to welcome Dash to Western Union and are working collaboratively with Singtel to secure regulatory approvals. Our business in Singapore is a unique blend of branded digital services and owned locations, serving citizens and residents across the country. This strategic move accelerates our Evolve 2025 vision, and strengthens our global digital capabilities.”

Evercore Asia (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. acted as exclusive corporate finance adviser to Singtel on this transaction.

Manila, Philippines – Maya, one of the top digital payment apps in the Philippines, has launched a new campaign called ‘My Money. My Bank. My Way’, simultaneously introducing its newest — and biggest ambassador yet since it rebranded in May 2022. 

The fintech tapped top local actress Liza Soberano and even appointed her to the unique position of chief advocacy officer. As chief advocacy officer, Soberano will champion shared advocacies for financial inclusion with Maya and lead key initiatives, starting with a joint activity for Save The Children, the world’s leading independent organisation for children. 

The new campaign of Maya is aimed at doubling down on the local wallet’s advantage in the digital banking scene. 

The campaign was conceptualised by Soberano herself and said move breaks the mould of traditional celebrity endorsements and changes the game for marketing financial services.

Speaking of her involvement, the actress said, “I’m excited for everyone to level up their banking experience with me through Maya because I love using their app. On top of that, working with Maya truly feels like a level up for me – it’s a joy to collaborate with them creatively, and I’m excited for the professional challenge of becoming their chief advocacy officer.”

Meanwhile, Pepe Torres, chief marketing officer at Maya, commented that their partnership with Liza hopes to communicate that it is about time for Filipinos to make bigger and bolder financial decisions with the help of game-changing innovations. He also added that they aim at spearheading the industry’s evolution on making digital banking a breakthrough experience for all.

Shailesh Baidwan, group president at Maya, said that their digital banking strategy has allowed them to be more advantageous than other local competitors.

“Filipinos trust banks and like the convenience of e-wallets. By providing an all-in-one digital banking app where people can save, spend, borrow, and invest seamlessly, we have simplified the whole financial services experience for consumers,” Baidwan said.

The new campaign comes months after Maya appointed IPG Mediabrands’ Initiative Philippines as its media agency of record.

Singapore – YouTrip, Singapore’s multi-currency mobile wallet has forged a partnership with Visa, to accelerate its expansion to the rest of Southeast Asia, starting with Malaysia and the Philippines. 

Currently operating in Singapore and Thailand, the partnership comes a year after YouTrip’s first regional expansion to Thailand in partnership with Kasikornbank, one of Thailand’s largest banks. 

YouTrip believes the new partnership presents an opportunity to solve a unique pain point for Southeast Asian travelers, with regional travel poised to be the first step towards international travel recovery. 

“Unlike regional travel in other parts of the world such as Europe or the United States of America, traveling within Southeast Asia requires multi-currency spending. Coupled with the year-long pent up demand for travel and cross-border payment, this puts YouTrip in good stead for further expansion,” said the company in a press statement.  

It added, “Leveraging on Visa’s global network of 70 million merchant locations worldwide, YouTrip aims to enable Southeast Asia travelers with access to cross border payment solutions such as wholesale exchange rates and no foreign currency transaction fees in over 150 currencies.” 

YouTrip looks to Malaysia and the Philippines as the next potential markets in the next six to 12 months, where the company, referring to a PwC report, said both countries are two of the fastest-growing Southeast Asian countries in mobile payment adoption. 

Caecilia Chu, co-founder, and CEO of YouTrip shared, “Our partnership with Visa will enable our continued growth to drive the next generation of payment innovation of cross border payments. We are incredibly excited for the opportunities ahead to serve millions of consumers in Southeast Asia and empower them with the solutions they deserve.”

Kelvin Lam, regional general Manager of YouTrip, added, “In a short span of two years, we have established YouTrip as a leading multi-currency wallet in both Singapore and Thailand. With our strong foundation, we look forward to combining our market-winning expertise along with Visa’s payment innovations to the rest of Southeast Asia, starting with Malaysia and Philippines,” 

Meanwhile, Visa’s Head of Digital Partnerships for Asia Pacific Matt Wood commented, “We are excited to work with YouTrip across Southeast Asia to provide consumers and businesses with a multi-currency payment solution that is ideal for international eCommerce and cross-border travel. Together, we look forward to bringing faster, safer, and more convenient digital payments to people across the region.”

Singapore – EZ-Link, one of the first to offer prepaid card payment in Singapore, has taken a major rebranding, at the same time, unveils new app enhancements to go in tandem with its new brand identity.

The branding comes as EZ-Link marks its 18th year in the market, having started in 2002. The product now carries the new brand direction “For Life’s Little Wins” to underscore the brand’s mission of “eliminating hassle and enabling possibilities for customers in their ‘little’ daily financial routines.”

For the new direction, the company has adopted a new logo and refreshed both its corporate website and EZ-Link app.

Still sporting the same cool colors of blue and green, the new logo now takes a brighter palette with a cleaner font – breaking off of the old one’s edgy typeface.

EZ-Link’s old (above) and new logo (below)

The more striking and almost neon hue is now adapted to both its website and app. The brand’s app also used to display sharp-edged navigation boxes, whereas, in the new one, edges have been carved and assigned more pastel hues.

The company’s old (left) and new (right) website

The company said the new visual identity “reflects [its] renewed focus on digital transformation, while still maintaining key elements that have become strongly associated with the brand.”

EZ-Link’s old app

For the past 18 years, EZ-Link has been a trusted local brand and an integral part of many Singaporean’s daily lives. However, a lot has changed since we launched the first EZ-Link card almost two decades ago. Consumers’ lifestyles have evolved and the world is set on its path to a digital future

Nicholas Lee, CEO at EZ-Link

To kick off the brand refresh, EZ-Link has launched its enhanced mobile EZ-Link Wallet, which is now integrated with EZ-Link’s Rewards program. 

Introduced at the start of this year, the EZ-Link Wallet can be used at local merchants that accept e-payments via the Singapore Quick Response Code (SGQR), Singapore’s unified QR label.

With the integration, users are offered a new avenue to earn and accumulate points that can be redeemed for benefits from over 200 EZ-Link Rewards merchants. Similar to EZ-Link card transactions, every S$0.10 spent on the EZ-Link Wallet will earn one point.

In addition, Android and iOS users can now top-up their EZ-Link cards anytime and on the go via the EZ-Link Wallet, and receive direct cashback and reward credits in their accounts when they spend with the e-wallet.

With the latest upgrade, EZ-Link said it aims to deliver a more seamless and rewarding experience for users’ transport and retail transactions. 

Lee said, “As we push forward in our digitalization journey, we must always put people at the heart of our innovation. This is in line with our new brand direction, which is rooted in the belief that our everyday life is lived in small moments that can be turned into little wins.”

In accordance with its branding move and to better differentiate its offerings, EZ-Link’s new and existing products will now be housed under three sub-brands: EZ-Link Rewards, EZ-Link Wallet, and former EZ-Pay, EZ-Link Motoring, which is the brand’s upcoming solution for electronic toll and parking payments.