Tag: Philippines

Manila, Philippines – Philippine-based fintech startup NextPay has expanded its digital payment solutions with the introduction of ‘Email Money’, the first-of-its-kind payment service in the country that allows users to transfer money to any bank or e-wallet without the need for the recipient’s account details – only an email. 

‘Email Money’ is one of the digital banking solutions that NextPay developed through the US$1.9m funds that it has raised from its pre-seed and seed funding rounds in 2021.

The new service adds another layer of privacy, especially for small businesses that use their personal bank accounts for their transactions. It also lessens the instance of human error, as the sender does not need to input long bank account details, reducing the process of manual verification.

To send money via email, the fintech users simply have to choose ‘Email Money’ under the recipient’s receiving option and input the recipient’s email and phone number. Once the transfer has been completed, the recipient will receive an email to notify them of the transaction. Recipients may then choose which bank or eWallet they would like to receive their funds and confirm their identity with a one-time password, giving them full control and flexibility, while allowing them to instantly receive the funds. 

Both the sender and receiver will receive notifications when the funds have been successfully received. If the link remains unopened after the availability period, the funds will be transferred back to the sender’s account.

Don Pansacola, NextPay’s chief executive officer and co-founder, shared that they are giving the customers more options to transfer funds through ‘Email Money’.

“By introducing the country’s first payment service that enables users to transfer money to any bank or e-wallet via email, we are empowering NextPay customers to streamline their financial needs and allow them to focus on growing their business,” said Pansacola.

Meanwhile, Aldrich Tan, NextPay’s chief experience officer and co-founder, said, “We constantly pursue new innovations that are relevant to our target market – the micro, small and medium enterprises. Email Money is a solution fit for businesses that need to process refunds or for those who want to settle their obligations early to finalize their book.”

Artie Lopez, NextPay’s head of growth and co-founder, commented, “We will continue to make strides in achieving our goal of putting the power of big banks to growing businesses by constantly pursuing innovation.”

NextPay plans to introduce more financial tools and services tailored for MSMEs this year, including cryptocurrency services, bills payment, lending, and corporate cards.

Manila, Philippines – The Philippines Competition Commission (PCC), the country’s organisation dedicated to regulate business competition, has ordered Grab Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary MyTaxi.PH, Inc. to pay ₱19.3m (US$368k) in refunds to its users.

The commission found out that only 24.1% of the total refund has been claimed from Grab by eligible passengers as of 15 June 2021, or ₱6.15m out of the total ₱25.45m penalty required by the PCC to be returned to Grab users.

PCC is giving Grab until 22 April to refund the remaining amounts to eligible users, noting that the refund should be immediately credited via GrabPay Wallet without requiring any act from the users to claim the amount.

PCC Chair Arsenio M. Balisacan said, “The penalties are in the form of a refund to remind Grab that every pricing or booking violation committed against passengers shall be paid back to passengers. Grab should immediately release the refunds and continue to adhere to its commitments.”

The antitrust agency previously penalised Grab a total of ₱63.7 million since 2018 for violations of its price and service quality commitments. It was in late 2019 when the Commission imposed on Grab the penalty to return a portion of its commissions to Grab’s passengers for violating its price monitoring commitment.

It has since ordered Grab to issue refunds in the amounts of ₱5.05m in November 2019, ₱14.15m in December 2019, and ₱6.25m in October 2020.

The penalties were the result of Grab’s takeover of Uber in 2018, which raised competition concerns and was subjected to a PCC Decision committing the merged entity to a standard as if it had a rival. During the monitoring period, PCC found that the ride-hailing company committed extraordinary pricing deviations, which resulted in the three sets of penalties.

“The PCC remains steadfast in monitoring Grab’s commitments to temper the firm’s dominance in the ride-hailing market. These measures are in place to prevent Grab from exercising monopolistic behaviour due to its unchallenged market power,” Balisacan said.

He added, “Through the years, the commitment measures are meant to be temporary in disciplining Grab while waiting for the market to mature with new major players. A more permanent pro-competition solution here is to open the market to more Transport Network Companies that can truly rival Grab on the same level.”

Manila, Philippines – With the Philippines’ 2022 national elections fast approaching and in order to promote healthy civic discussion online, social media platform Twitter has partnered with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to amplify voter education initiatives on the policy, product and partnership front to protect the integrity of election-centric conversations on the platform.

To unite people around election conversations on Twitter, the platform has launched a series of customised emojis that aim to be valuable visual links to aid the discoverability of election-related discussions. The emojis will run throughout the campaign period and will be available until 27 May.

From 16 March, a microphone emoji with the Philippine flag colours can be activated by the hashtag #PilipinasDebates2022 and #AskPilipinasDebates, in line with the ongoing national debates of candidates. Meanwhile, starting 31 March, for election-related conversation, Twitter is launching a special emoji that features a ballot box, a universal symbol for elections, set in front of the Philippine flag. They can be activated using the hashtags #2022NLE, #BumotoKa, #Halalan2022, #Piniliay2022, #HIJAlalan2022, #PHVote, #PHVoteResults, and #WeDecide.

In addition, starting 31 March, an emoji featuring the silhouette of a female, who represents the Motherland, will be activated by use of the hashtag #VoteSafePilipinas.

Additionally, online search prompts will be available to facilitate access to authoritative sources of information on voting in both Filipino and English languages. The search prompt is a notification service that connects people to credible information about the elections. When searching for keywords associated with the Philippine General Election such as “NLE 2022,” “Vote Philippines” and “General Election”; the search result will show a notification at the top, directing people to the latest credible election information from COMELEC or VoteSAFEPilipinas.

James B. Jimenez, director of education and information department at COMELEC, said, “With a record-breaking 65.7 million registered voters, the Philippines is expected to hold one of the largest elections in Asia. During this most important time for us as a nation; collaboration between governments, industry partners and civic organisations is crucial to protect the integrity of the elections. We are pleased to be partnering with Twitter to fight misinformation and encourage voter participation.”

To support the diverse voter base, Twitter is partnering and working together with a wide range of partner organisations to ensure Twitter is a place for healthy public conversation. In addition, they will be hosting and/or promoting a series of events on Twitter to educate voters on the elections process, fight against misinformation, and foster healthy discussions around election-specific issues. These organisations include #FactsFirstPH, Foundation for Media Alternatives, GMA Network, Legal Network for Truthful Elections, National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, and Plan International Philippines (@planphilippines).

Monrawee Ampolpittayanant, head of public policy, government and philanthropy for Twitter in Southeast Asia, commented, “At Twitter, protecting the integrity of public conversation during elections is core to our mission. Our policies are designed to help protect against inauthentic information and safeguard healthy public conversations. Drawing on insights and lessons from previous elections, both globally and in the Philippines, we have implemented products, policies, and enforcement updates to protect and support the conversation taking place during the course of the upcoming election.”

She added, “Platforms like Twitter are where important election related conversations are taking place. We are closely monitoring abusive behaviour, this includes content in Filipino, and will not tolerate any rule-violating activities, such as spam. Together with COMELEC, non-profit organisations and other trusted partners on the ground; we continue to harness the power of the #OpenInternet to strengthen civic dialogue and encourage quality participation during this important Philippine General Election.”

The platform also announced that they have formed an internal elections group to lead their electoral integrity work from now through polling day. Using their proprietary-built internal tools, the team will proactively protect Trends on Twitter in the Philippines, support partner escalations, and identify potential threats from malicious actors. 

“Cross-functional by design, we have a dedicated and specially trained team, consisting of the company’s top trust and safety experts with local language capabilities and a deep understanding of local contexts. This blend of perspectives, expertise, and backgrounds is absolutely critical in addressing issues that arise from the elections,” Twitter said in a press statement.

Philippines — Integrated marketing company in the Philippines, MullenLowe TREYNA, has unveiled its hybrid workspace and setup this February in the middle of softened social restrictions. According to the agency, by integrating learnings across different disciplines and work styles, the group prioritises results and culture-building as it rethinks a better way of working.

Vital to the renovation project, Mel Jimenez, client services director for MullenLowe TREYNA, commented on the purpose of creating a tranquil workplace, saying that work that requires focus and deep thinking can be done at home or anywhere. Jimenez adds that there’s nothing like in-person brainstorming to generate creative sparks and inspire lively discussion.

Mike Trillana, chairman and CEO of MullenLowe TREYNA, commented, “We found a great partner in One/Zero Design. They worked closely with us to make sure the space could accommodate meetings big and small, and be reconfigured easily, with modular partitions and mixed-use areas. And because we went for a hotdesk system, no one has to look far to find a power outlet.”

Meanwhile, Arts Serrano, founder of One/Zero Design Co, shared, “When the initial idea of the space was presented to our studio, there was a particular attention to designing the office as a ‘social anchor’. The world has adapted to work from anywhere, but maintaining a strong office culture is a priority for Mullenlowe TREYNA.”

Simultaneously, Abi Aquino, chief creative officer of MullenLowe TREYNA, disclosed the importance of a fun workplace, saying, “Most importantly, we wanted The Ink Bar back. Being able to decompress and have fun together is what many of us missed while working from home. Those moments go a long way in making the day-to-day feel just that much lighter.”

According to the agency, hygiene and health considerations were top of mind in developing the new workspace. The open space design encourages ventilation, and air purifiers and sanitizing stations are appropriately placed throughout the newly-renovated office. Online booking and scheduling ensure that the space can work at different occupancy levels as the situation requires.

Recently, MullenLowe TREYNA also unveiled a series of key senior promotions.

Manila, Philippines – Omnicom Media Group has been appointed the media agency of record of Angkas, the Philippine-based motorcycle ride-sharing service. The appointment follows after Angkas decided to go with an agency that can provide relevance and creativity while pushing the envelope of innovation further.

George Royeca, chief executive officer at Angkas, said, “We chose OMG as our media AOR as they have successfully shown innovative thinking, strong media capabilities, and transparency which we truly value. We are excited to see how this partnership can further drive Angkas’ goals this 2022.”

Meanwhile, Mary Buenaventura, CEO and president at OMG, commented, “We are thrilled to be given the chance to work with a progressive brand who is a pioneer in its category.”

She also added that Angkas is a trailblazer that promotes a win-win situation for both the company and its riders, “not only in providing a transportation option to commuters but also in providing livelihoods for Filipinos.”

Founded in 2016, Angkas has also ventured into the package delivery scene, and has a large presence in Metro Manila, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and General Santos City. There are also plans for Angkas to eye provincial expansion in the Philippines, including in Batangas.

Philippines — Gushcloud in the Philippines, the technology-driven digital talent and media company, has announced the recent signing of known local fashion designer, Rajo Laurel, to help him grow his digital presence. In this collaboration, the digital talent and entertainment agency will be working closely with Laurel to represent him, manage key brands, and provide strategic channel management support.

The fashion icon shared his thoughts on the partnership, saying, “I’m very much looking forward to the new collaborations that Gushcloud and I will be able to make. Transitioning to digital can be daunting, but I am excited about this journey because this would open avenues for me to engage and interact with my followers and fellow designers,” Laurel said.

Laurel holds an extensive understanding of the creative industry and with over 30 years of experience in fashion, he was able to launch his own brands namely RAJO and House of Laurel. Through the partnership, Laurel hopes to connect more with his followers, giving them a glimpse of his passion, sense of purpose, and even giving a peek of his personal life. He is also excited to collaborate with fellow content creators and brands.

Felice Olondriz, head of talents of Gushcloud Philippines, commented that for this year, Gushcloud wants to take up space not just through their influencer marketing capacity, but in the digital entertainment stage as well. Olondriz added that the exciting collaboration with Rajo Laurel is only the beginning of opening up his influence to brands and consumers alike through representation and channel management.

“Ultimately, our vision as partners is to leverage Gushcloud’s more advanced entertainment efforts such as NFTs and new digital channel explorations, so Laurel can create a more positive influence amidst the clutter in digital marketing and advertising. Time and again, Gushcloud proves how our strength on digital strategy is not only for our brand campaigns but also for our exclusive talents who want to finally expand their digital footprint,” Olondriz said.

Jamie Paraso, country director of Gushcloud Philippines, said, “At Gushcloud, we are welcoming 2022, true to our theme of stronger and smarter! It is our pleasure to have the privilege to represent one of the fashion icons in our country, Rajo Laurel. As a digital talent and entertainment agency, our goal is to create a sustainable ecosystem where brands, influencers and content creators can grow together and create a strong positive influence. This collaboration aims to strengthen Rajo Laurel’s digital presence but I also believe that it will create ripples that can inspire the minds of like-minded individuals.”

Aside from Laurel, Gushcloud has also recently signed celebrity wedding videographer, Jason Magbanua, and gaming creator Chin Valdes, among others.

Last January, Gushcloud helped spearhead Sneakertopia’s expansion in Asia.

Manila, Philippines – UnionDigital Bank, the digital bank entity of the Union Bank of the Philippines, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with global play-to-earn guild Yield Guild Games (YGG) during its first-ever Managers’ Summit held last 3 to 6 March 2022 in the Philippines.

The partnership aims to make financial products and services more accessible to the play-to-earn and Web3 communities in the country. It will also further propel the rising Play-to-Earn community in the Philippines, addressing the communities’ emerging needs in the space.

UnionDigital Bank said that it aims to tech up and services the underbanked, enabling Filipino communities, businesses, problem solvers, and regulators to leverage innovative financial technologies in order to achieve nationwide financial inclusion.

Arvie de Vera, UnionDigital Bank’s co-founder and CEO, shared that their partnership with YGG brings to life their ambition to serve the growing Play-to-Earn community here in the Philippines.

“We are very excited to bring in our trailblazing leadership in Fintech, Blockchain, and Open Finance to the YGG community, providing them with services that best suit their needs in the P2E space,” said de Vera.

Meanwhile, Luis Buenaventura, YGG Pilipinas’ country manager, commented that this partnership with UnionDigital will give their play-to-earn community exclusive access to crypto services that are sorely lacking in the local ecosystem.

“We are confident that it will enable all kinds of interesting and new use cases, and continue to push the industry forward,” said Buenaventura.

Manila, Philippines – Enstack, an SME superapp, has launched in beta in the Philippines late in February, and after only two weeks, announces its strong entry in the market with over 10,000 merchants signing up on the platform. 

Enstack as an SME superapp provides entrepreneurs with all operational, logistical, and financial tools they need in a single platform. On Enstack, businesses can accept orders from customers over the phone, in person, and online via its Chat Store. With the Chat Store, merchants can automatically receive orders via their Facebook Messenger accounts, without replying to each message, and directly fulfil them using the Enstack app. 

SMEs can also offer customers multiple payment options and ship packages with integrated logistics providers directly from the app. Other management tools include sales and expenses recording, inventory management, and analytics. 

Behind Enstack is Oriente, which has provided Filipinos access to credit through their Shop Now, Pay Later services. With Enstack, it expands its focus on Southeast Asian SMEs. 

“After supporting the biggest merchants through our digital credit services, we now want to optimize the smallest of businesses so they can keep up with the rise in digital consumers. After seeing the swift growth and adoption of our free easy-to-use superapp, driven purely by word-of-mouth, we know we’ve created a game-changer with Enstack,” shared Geoffrey Prentice, co-founder of Oriente. 

“We’re glad to see our initial group of over 10,000 SMEs, led by merchants in food and beverage, feel empowered as they take their first step towards digitization so they can be more efficient, profitable, and thrive in today’s economy,” adds Prentice.

Enstack is available in the Philippines and Vietnam and is set to launch in other Southeast Asian countries in the next 18 months. It is free to download on the App Store and Google Play.

Manila, Philippines – Local supermarket chain AllDay Supermarket has announced the launch of its first-ever smart carts, a first in the Philippines’ supermarket scene. The new innovation adds up to other AllDay’s recently launched innovations such as its personal shopper service, and AllDay’s self-checkout counters.

Customers need to simply place their desired items in the smart cart, which automatically scans the selected items information, immediately reflecting prices and other important information on the cart’s user interface. As a customer continues his or her shopping trip, a running total is generated in real-time, allowing for them to monitor and compare against their budget, or their shopping list for that particular trip.

Finally, when a customer is ready to check out, the smart cart will automatically generate a QR code for their total purchase, which can be scanned at either AllDay’s self-checkout counters or simply handed over to AllDay’s trained cashiers for payment and check out.

Camille Villar, vice chairman at AllDay Supermarket, said, “We’re excited to bring to our customers yet another innovation to make in-person grocery shopping even more intuitive and enjoyable. Our smart carts are a novel experience, and we are sure it will be an exciting experience for first-time users. This puts even more convenience and information about what they are buying in real time, right at their fingertips.” 

She added, “More importantly, introducing these smart carts helps raise the bar for the local supermarket landscape, driving home our point that Filipino consumers now prefer experiential shopping, and we are of course happy to deliver.”

The supermarket chain also continues to maintain and operate its e-commerce platform www.allday.com.ph, which also aims to introduce new customer-facing improvements in 2022.

Villar added, “Our focus continues to be directed towards bringing transformation to the local supermarket landscape. The importance of continuous improvement of our services and experiences remains a top business priority for us, right alongside expanding our store network and bringing our established elevated in-store customer experience to even more communities all over the country.”

Manila, Philippines – Creative and communications network dentsu in APAC has appointed Mark Gabriel Chaves (Mako), former client partner and head of media, creatives, and analytics at insights and consulting company Kantar, to be its new head of media for dentsu Philippines.

Chaves brings with him over two decades of experience across relevant fields of expertise in media research, strategic planning, analytics, and creative development. He will be returning to dentsu after 14 years, where he first worked at Carat Philippines in 2008, and three subsequent stints at dentsu Malaysia between 2010 to 2016 as communications planning director, chief insight officer, and most notably, general manager for innovations. 

Aside from his most recent role at Kantar, where he was responsible for the set-up, go-to-market strategies, and revenue growth of media and digital, social analytics, and business analytics, as well as oversight of creative capabilities, Chaves was also the general manager at Zenith Media Philippines.

In his new role, Chaves will be responsible for driving synergies for dentsu Philippines’ media brands and working closely with the heads of iProspect, dentsu X, and Carat brands to ensure a unified representation of dentsu’s media capabilities in the industry.

Commenting on his appointment, Chaves said “There’s more to building brands – chief of which is mutual growth as partners around a central transformational idea. Our CEO JC has brilliantly put together a team of experts to realize his vision for dentsu Philippines and I’m humbled to be seen as someone who can complement an already-strong team of innovators and brand-builders.”

Meanwhile, JC Catibog, dentsu’s CEO for Philippines, shared that Chaves is a big picture thinker and highly-motivated contemporary marketer who fundamentally believe that building brands is multi-faceted and hard work, and trusts the unique role of media. 

“All of us in the Philippines are excited to welcome Mako back to the dentsu family and look forward to working closely together in scaling our media business to new heights,” said Catibog.

In February 2022, Richard Reid, formerly the head of consulting, data, and performance at integrated marketing agency Iris, has also been appointed as the new regional integrated strategy partner at dentsu for APAC, where he will be responsible for driving integrated strategy development for dentsu’s key clients as well as new business opportunities across the region.