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Ironically, that can’t be said about online banking in the Philippines, with its slower adoption rate
than its Asian neighbors.
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However, there are opportunities for online banking growth in the country.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. sees strong demand
(https://www.bworldonline.com/the-philippines-growth-dialogues-unlocking-digital-banking-
opportunities/) from consumers and small-and-medium enterprises for banking innovation.
The digitally savvy young population is also expected to drive the growth of online and mobile
banking in the Philippines.
The research notes that Pinoys are open to embracing technological innovations for more
convenient banking.
Online banking and related tech advancements address such pain points by making nancial
services more convenient and accessible to Filipinos.
Contents
What is Online Banking?
What is Mobile Banking?
What is the Di erence Between Online Banking and Digital Banking?
Pros and Cons of Online Banking and Digital Banking
Online and Digital Banking Advantages
Online and Digital Banking Disadvantages
Top Digital, Mobile, and Online Banks in the Philippines
1. ING Philippines
2. BPI Online and BPI Mobile
To start using an online banking service, customers need to register for an online account with
their bank.
This requires using an ATM/debit card or bank account number and creating a username and
password to access the e-banking facility.
Once registered, customers can complete bank transactions such as funds transfer and bills
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payment anytime and anywhere without having to go to a physical branch.
The two services di er in the kind of devices used to access them. Online banking is performed
on desktop devices, while mobile banking is available through either a bank’s mobile website or
mobile app using a smartphone or tablet.
It’s important to understand the di erences between these two kinds of banking service, so you
know your options and decide which one is better for you.
Commercial banks in the Philippines (the most prominent ones being BDO, BPI, and Metrobank)
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provide online banking service to their clients whose banking relationship began from a physical
branch.
Although these traditional banks have online banking channels, they operate in physical locations
around the country. Customers still have to visit their branches for account opening, cash and
check deposits, and other transactions that involve large amounts of money. Cash withdrawals
still have to be done via ATMs or over the counter.
On the other hand, banks that o er all-digital banking service operate only over the internet,
which customers access on a mobile app.
Every activity and function—both front-end (what customers see) and back-end processes—is
fully automated using technologies like arti cial intelligence, big data, and analytics.
Among the digital banking pioneers in the country are ING Philippines and OCTO by CIMB Bank.
Because fully digital banks exist without any physical location and face-to-face interaction with
tellers, they provide customer service through email, chat, or phone.
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The automated processes and the absence of brick-and-mortar branches reduce the operational
costs of digital banks. They pass on the resulting savings to customers.
Typically, digital banks don’t require transaction fees, initial deposit, and maintaining balance.
Also, their savings accounts have higher interest rates than those of traditional banks.
However, fully digital banks have limited functions, unlike traditional banks with full-range online
banking services.
With a digital banking service, you can’t open a joint account or a checking account. To deposit or
withdraw cash, you’ll have to do it in another bank or any of the digital bank’s partner outlets.
Related: Best Savings & Time Deposit Accounts from the Top Banks in the Philippines
(https://grit.ph/savings-account/)
Online and digital banking services are available 24/7, except during system maintenance or
upgrade. You can access them at your convenience, whether you’re at home, in the o ce, or on
the go.
This is in stark contrast to physical bank branches. Most of them are open only on weekdays and
certain hours of the day.
A notable feature of some online banking channels is automatic bills payment – including for
government services such as:
Pag-IBIG (https://grit.ph/pag-ibig/)
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Philhealth (https://grit.ph/philhealth/)
SSS (https://grit.ph/sss/)
NBI Clearance (https://grit.ph/nbi-clearance/)
Passport Application (https://grit.ph/passport/)
HMOs (https://grit.ph/hmo/)
Enabling this service allows you to schedule your payments for utilities, credit card
(https://grit.ph/credit-cards/) bills, insurance (https://grit.ph/life-insurance/) premiums, and more.
Your account gets automatically charged every month, and you won’t have to miss due dates.
Transactions can be completed over the internet in only 5 to 10 minutes. This saves you a lot of
time compared to over-the-counter transactions.
Especially during peak hours, customers in a bank branch have to wait in line for at least an hour.
You won’t have to deal with that as long as you have an online account with your bank and
internet connection.
3. Ability to Manage Accounts
Keeping track of your bank accounts is just a few clicks or smartphone taps away.
Online banking channels allow customers to view their transaction history anytime from several
months up to the current day.
This feature allows early detection of any suspicious or unauthorized activity, so it can be
reported immediately to the bank.
4. Paperless Statements
Online banking eliminates the need for messy paper statements. You can view your statements
electronically instead.
It’s eco-friendly, too. While still having access to records of all your transactions, getting
electronic statements contributes to paper conservation and zero-waste e orts.
Related: List of Bank Codes (BRSTN) & Swift Codes (BIC) of Philippine Banks
( ) ( ) pp
(https://grit.ph/philippine-bank-codes/)
This is the biggest concern among Filipinos who are wary of online banking.
Although banks invest in technologies to boost website security, their online banking channels
are still vulnerable to hacking, identity theft, and other fraudulent activities that result in
unauthorized transactions.
It doesn’t help that banks usually take a long time to investigate and resolve customer complaints
on security breaches.
There’s also a need to better educate consumers about protecting their bank accounts against
internet security risks.
2. Internet Issues
For a seamless and hassle-free online banking transaction, a stable internet connection is a must.
With the notoriously poor internet speeds in the Philippines, online banking facilities are
sometimes inaccessible, especially when customers need them the most.
Adding to this problem are the regular system maintenance activities—sometimes taking longer
than expected—that lead to downtimes and frustrated customers.
3. Learning Curve
It’s challenging for rst-time and non-tech savvy users (like senior citizens) to learn how to use
online banking channels, especially mobile banking apps.
It takes some time getting used to. This is why some customers prefer to transact face to face
with tellers in bank branches even if the queues get very long.
Related: Top Cashless E-Payment Systems for Merchants & Consumers in the Philippines
p y y pp
(https://grit.ph/cashless/)
Here are eight of the best banking services in the country based on one or a combination of these
criteria:
1. ING Philippines
ING is a Dutch nancial services company that started operations in the Philippines in 1997 as a
wholesale lender.
In early 2019, ING Philippines launched its all-digital retail banking services via a mobile app.
The digital bank earned the Best Bank in the World Award in 2017 from the Global Finance
magazine.
Among all the mobile banking apps on this list, the ING Philippines app has the highest rating of
4.3 on both App Store and Google Play Store.
Interest rate: 2.5% (10 times higher than typical rates of traditional savings accounts)
No minimum deposit amount and no required maintaining balance
No lock-in period and no service fees
Complete account opening and check deposit via the ING mobile app
Funds transfer via PESONet to any bank in the Philippines
Despite being prone to email phishing in the past and the system glitch in 2017 that a ected
millions of customers, BPI’s online and mobile banking channels are still among the most popular
in the Philippines.
BPI Mobile ranks third among nancial apps (and the top one among mobile banking apps) with
the most active users and number of installs on Android devices, based on SimilarWeb data
(https://www.similarweb.com/apps/top/google/app-index/ph/ nance/top-free) as of July 2019.
BPI recently redesigned its online banking site and mobile app, bee ng them up with new and
unique features such as QR code and e-wallet loading.
BDO’s mobile app ranks second among mobile banking apps with the highest number of installs
and active Android users in the Philippines.
4. UnionBank Online
UnionBank, owned mostly by conglomerate giant Aboitiz, has received numerous awards for
pioneering and innovating online banking in the Philippines.
In recent years, UnionBank won the best digital bank distinction multiple times from di erent
award-giving bodies.
Its innovative banking solutions include EON, a fully digital banking service (the rst of its kind in
Southeast Asia) that introduced sel e banking through facial recognition technology for account
opening, accessing one’s online account, and loan application.
In late 2017, UnionBank opened the Philippines’ rst fully digital bank branch called The Ark that
enables customers to perform bank transactions using touchscreen TVs or tablets. The digital
branch eliminates long lines and face-to-face interactions with tellers.
According to UnionBank, 80% of all its customers’ transactions are done through its online
banking channels.
It’s also one of the top ve commercial banks in the country in terms of assets, deposits, and
loans.
The state-run bank has an online banking channel and a mobile banking app, which has a high
average rating of 4.2 on Google Play Store and a passing rating of 3.3 on App Store.
The LANDBANK app also ranks third among Philippine mobile banking apps with the highest
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number of active users and installs on Android devices.
View foreign exchange rates and unit investment trust fund (UITF)
(https://grit.ph/mutual-funds/) rates
ATM/Branch locator
How to Open a LANDBANK Account:
The Ty family—with business interests in nancial services, power, real estate (https://grit.ph/real-
estate/), and manufacturing—owns the majority of Metrobank.
Metrobank has an online banking facility, Metrobankdirect, as well as a mobile banking app that
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currently has high average ratings on Google Play Store (4.0) and App Store (3.8).
For its banking innovations, Security Bank bagged the Best Digital Bank award from Capital
Finance International in 2017.
Two of its best services are the Human Switch Kit and Online Account Application that make
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account opening faster and more convenient.
Security Bank is also one of the few traditional banks in the Philippines that o er an online-only
savings account.
Its eSecure Online Savings Account has an annual interest rate of 0.50% to 1.20% and low
maintaining balance of Php 500.
Minimum maintaining balance: Php 500 – Php 25,000 / $500 for dollar and third-
currency accounts
Quick login through ngerprint authentication
eGiveCash for sending money through SMS
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Fund transfer
Bills payment
Prepaid loading
Lock or unlock ATM and PIN
UITF subscription and redemption
Forex transactions
Locate ATMs and branches
1. Fill out an online account opening form on the Security Bank website
(https://www.securitybank.com/).
Like the ING app, the OCTO by CIMB Bank app allows customers to perform banking transactions
on their smartphones.
Cash deposits can be done online, while withdrawals are possible through 20,000+ ATMs and
8,000+ partner outlets such as 7-Eleven stores nationwide.
Interest rate: 0.50% to 2.50% (Two to 10 times higher than typical rates of traditional
savings accounts)
Since GCash already has a signi cant user base, they’re looking to capitalize on it and help ll in
the gap between banked and unbanked Pinoys.
Key Features:
According to CIMB Bank’s website (as of August 2019), they will be rolling out the following
features in the future:
Ability to access to view and maintain your GSave account through the OCTO app
(CIMB Bank’s own mobile app)
Ability to deposit and withdraw through any of the 8,000+ CIMB Partner locations
nationwide.
Ability to make online transfers between CIMB accounts.
Key Features:
No initial deposit
No maintaining balance
Earns interest of 0.25% p.a. at an average daily balance of at least PHP 20,000
Free withdrawals in any ATM in the Philippines
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You can make deposits into your ISave account via the following methods:
Read Next:
Best Savings Accounts from the Top Banks in account/)
the Philippines (https://grit.ph/savings-
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