During the second part of the session on the future of mobile phone banking in the Philippines, Paolo Baltao, President of Globe’s G-Xchange Inc. (GXI) announced their continuing collaboration with the USAID-supported RBAP-MABS Program on various new products and promotions for GCASH accredited rural banks. This would further promote and expand mobile phone banking services utilizing the GCASH platform. To make it easier for clients to cash-out their GCASH funds, GXI has partnered with RBAP-MABS to offer a specialized ATM card that doubles as a photo ID card called the Rural Bank FaceCard.
The Future of Mobile Phone Banking in the Philippines: Updates from Globe GCASH (part 2 of 3)
February 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Future of Mobile Phone Banking in the Philippines: Updates from RBAP-MABS (part 1 of 3)
February 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
During the USAID-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines – Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Roundtable Conference held last November 9, 2011 at Hyatt Hotel in Manila featured updates on mobile phone banking for rural banks as well as new global trends. During the conference, Mr. Petalcorin gave updates on the RBAP-MABS Program Mobile Phone Banking Services initiative: including various recent accreditation trainings for rural banks in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao regions for both GCASH and Smart Money platforms as well as lessons learned during the Mobile Phone Banking Channel Management pilot.
Mobile Money Webinar: Coping with Dormancy
January 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The third instalment of the Mobile Money Explained Live Webinar series is scheduled on the 17th of January at 2:30pm UK time (10:30pm MNL time).
One of the biggest issues facing mobile money providers at the moment is how to cope with dormancy. Maintaining high usage rates, especially in increasingly competitive markets, is not easy and after initial spikes in subscriptions, many service providers are faced with a vast number of dormant accounts on their hands.
This webinar defines methods for protecting your program from dormancy. It will explore the useability of the service, the breadth of the product suite on offer, competitive pricing, and effective ongoing marketing strategies that will encourage continual usage. Joining Graham Wright from MicroSave on this webinar will be Aleeda Fazal from Sicap.
Register free of charge at – http://tinyurl.com/mobile-money-webinar-register
To view previous webinars, simply follow the links below:
Webinar 2 – Beyond remittances: How to expand your mobile money product suite
Rural Banks Providing Financial Education in Branchless Banking
November 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In Filipino grammar, adding the prefix mag is a nifty way to verbalize a noun. This extends from everyday, colloquial conversation Mag-kape tayo (Let’s have coffee) Mag-sine tayo (Let’s watch a movie) to more profound exhortations, like Mag-bago na tayo. (It’s time we make a change). The United States Agency for International Development-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program with assistance from Microfinance Opportunities(MFO) is now assisting rural banks to extend this further to promote mobile phone banking services with the launch of mag-CellBank! and the pilot testing of the Financial Education for Branchless Banking Project.
mag-CellBank!, the new logo for mobile phone banking services, employs the prefix mag to cell (for cellphone) and bank. Mag-CellBank! is an enthusiastic call for clients to perform banking transactions using their cellphones. The new name, along with a visual identity, is integrated into the new Financial Education for Branchless Banking toolkit that is currently being used by three pilot banks – GM Bank,Cantilan Bank, and 1st Valley Bank. mag-CellBank! services include Text-A-Payment (TAP), Text-A-Deposit (TAD), Text-A-Withdrawal (TAW), and phone-to-phone transfers and payments.
Launched in June 2010, the Financial Education for Branchless Banking Project is implemented by the RBAP-MABS Program with support from MFO, a Washington-based global nonprofit that develops consumer-focused ideas and solutions for the microfinance industry. The project, which is implemented in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, aims to increase the uptake and use of mobile phone banking services through the use of financial education tools.
RBAP-MABS Holds Mobile Phone Banking & GCASH Accreditation Course for Northern Luzon Rural Bankers
October 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The United States Agency for International Development-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines–Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program conducted a Regional GCASH Accreditation Training for North Luzon rural banks in Clarkfield Pampanga last October 28, 2011.
The Globe GXI team – composed of their training team, North Luzon area managers, and the account manager and coordinator for rural banks – were present to facilitate the presentation and hands-on activities. Twenty (20) participants from 11 rural banks completed the training.
Visayas and Mindanao Rural Banks attend Mobile Phone Banking Accreditation Training Course
September 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Fourteen representatives from eight rural banks based in the Visayas and Mindanao attended the Mobile Phone Banking Accreditation training and refresher course at the Diamond Suites in Cebu City last September 9. The training was organized by the United States Agency for International Development-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines-Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program and co-sponsored by G-Xchange Inc. (GXI), a wholly-owned subsidiary and the mobile commerce arm of Globe Telecom.
Philippine Experiences in Mobile Phone Banking highlighted during the Asia Pacific Mobile Financial Services Summit
September 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The United States Agency for International Development-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines-Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program joined mobile financial service stakeholders at the 5th Annual Mobile Financial Services – Asia Pacific Summit held at the Waterfront, Singapore on September 6-7, 2011. The annual conference gathers partners in mobile, banking, business and technology industries to build a robust and sustainable mobile commerce ecosystem.
Industry trends and challenges in the mobile financial services were discussed during the two-day summit. The impact of the near field communication (NFC) technology and smartphones were the highlights of the summit. Banks in countries including Singapore, Japan and Korea are now utilizing the power of smartphones in providing mobile financial services to their clients. The socio-economic impact and success of this innovation in the financial services space were recognized.
RBAP-MABS Holds Regional Mobile Phone Banking Accreditation Course for Luzon Banks
August 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines–Microenterprise Access to Banking Services Program (RBAP-MABS) in cooperation with Globe’s G-Xchange Inc. (GXI) conducted a regional GCASH accreditation training and refresher course on August 25, 2011 at the RBAP Conference Room in Intramuros, Manila. Thirty-three (33) participants from eighteen (18) rural banks from Luzon completed the course.
Chinese study group visits RBAP-MABS to learn about Microfinance and Mobile Phone Banking in the Philippines
August 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A delegation from China visited the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines – Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program on 22 August 2011 to learn about microfinance and mobile banking. RBAP-MABS welcomed the group with a multimedia presentation on the topics, including a live demonstration of the workings of mobile phone banking.
Organized and coordinated by the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE), the group was composed of representatives from Fuping Development Institute, China Association of Microfinance, CreditEase Group, Baoshang Bank and China Development Bank.
USAID Officers Get Hands-on Briefing on Mobile Phone Banking Services
August 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
- Left photo: Joelan Ompoy from Davao sends GCASH to USAID Environment Officer Kerry Reeves. Right photo: USAID Officers perform cash-in at the PR Savings Bank Ortigas branch.
Officers of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) were given a firsthand briefing on the mobile phone banking initiative of the USAID-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines-Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program during a visit with partner bank, PR Savings Bank’s Ortigas Branch on August 11, 2011. The officers included Science & Technology Adviser to the Administrator Alex Dehgan, Environment Officer Kerry Reeves, Teresa Leonardo, Global Climate Change Advisor, and Contracts Officer Technical Representative Teresita Espenilla.
The team was provided with a presentation outlining the Program’s mobile phone banking initiative. As of May 2011, there are some 71 accredited rural banks with over 1,100 branches and other banking offices that are registered to offer mobile phone banking services utilizing the GCASH platform. These banks have served over 256,000 mobile phone banking clients and customers and have processed more than PhP 12 billion ($ 250 million) in mobile phone banking transactions via GCASH.