Keisha Ta-Asan – The Philippine Star
November 17, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Google Pay is making its Philippine entry tomorrow, Nov. 18, marking the first major global wallet to expand locally after months of behind-the-scenes coordination with issuers.
Industry sources told The STAR that GoTyme Bank is in the first wave of issuers going live on Tuesday, although the bank has not made any public announcement due to an embargo set by Google Pay. Other participating institutions are also barred from making early disclosures.
At least nine issuers are expected to be active on day one. Seven banks are onboarding through Visa, while two are integrating via Mastercard. A separate source said the actual number is “more than nine” once financial technology (fintech) players are included.
Two of the country’s largest banks, BDO Unibank, Inc. and Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) are not part of the initial group, according to people familiar with the matter. These traditional lenders are still finalizing technical requirements.
According to a source, Google tends to proceed once issuers complete technical readiness. The approach differs from Apple Pay, which maintains a more controlled timeline.
“Apple Pay invests more in marketing. They wait until they are happy with how many banks are ready and they make one big announcement,” the source said, adding that the service could launch by the middle of the second quarter next year.
Executives working on Apple and Google Pay’s onboarding pointed to tokenization as the key hurdle. BPI president and CEO Jose Teodoro Limcaoco earlier explained that issuers need to do tokenization before these global wallets approve any activation.
Limcaoco had also said that BPI expects to be ready to support Apple Pay and Google Pay by next year.
Industry players expect both platforms to eventually cover most major issuers. One insider said adoption is inevitable.
“I think everyone, eventually, will have to (partner with these global wallets). I think you do not even have a choice. Filipinos go crazy for new technologies. We have such a young population,” the source noted.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) earlier cleared a major hurdle for the two payment operators by ruling that they do not have to register as payment service providers, effectively allowing them to proceed with their Philippine launch.
BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan earlier said the central bank has determined that these global digital wallets act only as technology service providers and do not directly handle or store funds, which are key factors in determining whether they should be classified as operators of payment systems.
Both Apple Pay and Google Pay allow users to make financial transactions through near-field communication (NFC) devices. By linking their debit or credit cards and e-money accounts, users can simply tap their smartphones or smartwatches to pay at merchants that accept contactless payments.
Google Pay will allow cardholders to store debit and credit cards inside Google Wallet on Android devices. It can be used for tap-to-pay transactions at NFC-enabled terminals, in-app purchases and online checkout. Users simply add their cards to Google Wallet. They can then pay through their phones or wearables without presenting physical cards.
The service is expected to widen consumer access to contactless payments. Sources said the launch could accelerate merchant acceptance as more banks and fintechs join the platform through 2025 and next year.
Retailers, transport operators and food establishments already equipped with NFC terminals are expected to benefit from increased usage once the service goes live.