By Azer N. Parrocha
MANILA, Aug. 19 (PNA) — Filipinos are slowly starting to be more open to mobile payments and the use of digital wallet, Globe Telecom Inc. said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Globe noted that since its inception in year 2000, mobile penetration has surpassed the 100 percent mark to stand at 112 percent by the end of 2012.
Such opportunities have led G-Xchange Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom, to introduce the revolutionary model for mobile payments GCash.
GCash transforms a mobile phone into a virtual wallet for fast, easy, and secure money transfers.
G-Xchange Inc. president Paolo Baltao said that since GCash’s launch in 2004, the company has seen how it revolutionized mobile commerce in the Philippines and gave more Filipinos access to financial services.
Among these services are money transfers, backed up by a safe and convenient platform.
“GCash constantly explores mobile technologies to provide innovative services to fit our consumer’s ever-changing needs,” Baltao said.
Major cash transactions, including bills payments, cash-in/cash-out as well as domestic and international remittances have been made easier and faster through GCash over the last decade.
GXI aggressively grows user base by offering new products and services such as Globe Charge which can turn any mobile phone into a credit card facility; Globe PowerPay+, a funds payout service which is being offered to various companies.
Through PowerPay+, employees of partner companies may withdraw their salaries from any of the 13,000 ATMs and more than 6,000 GCash outlets nationwide; and GCash American Express Virtual Pay which is a prepaid virtual card connected to a user’s GCash mobile wallet that lets users shop online conveniently from both local and international sites that accept American Express as mode of payment
Meanwhile, Globe said that the government is also playing an important role in the adoption of mobile money in the country.
GCash recently expanded its services by partnering with local government units to accelerate their competitiveness by streamlining their business and licensing systems through greater use of technology.
The company teamed up with the local governments of Quezon City, Valenzuela City and Batangas City under the United States Agency for International Development’s Scaling Innovation through Mobile Money (SIMM) project to provide residents a platform to settle their payments of real property tax and business and construction permits.
Other GCash services include the purchase of airtime load without visiting an outlet, sending of money to other GCash subscribers and donation to partner institutions such as the Red Cross in a hassle-free manner.
GXI has over two million users worldwide who are now able to enjoy the platform for money transfer at present. (PNA)