According to PayNXT360’s Q2 2021 Global Prepaid Card Survey, prepaid card market in the Philippines is expected to grow by 17.7% on annual basis to reach US$ 3,827.8 million in 2021.The prepaid card market expected to grow over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 13.0% during 2021-2025. The prepaid card market in the Philippines will increase from US$ 3,251.5 million in 2020 to reach US$ 5,310.3 million by 2025.

Cash has been the most popular payment instrument in the Philippines. However, with the efforts of the Central Bank of the Philippines along with the government initiatives, the share of cash-based transactions has declined significantly over the last few years. As part of the government’s plan to boost the inclusion of digital payments in the country, a number of strategic initiatives have been implemented. For instance, the government has employed several micro-banking offices, e-money issuers, and remittance agents to ensure that underserved or unserved areas in the Philippines get access to financial services. Consequently, the number of prepaid cards in circulation has increased significantly over the last few years in the Philippines.

Global players looking to enter the growing prepaid card segment in the Philippines:

The Philippines is an attractive, high-growth potential market for global players looking to expand their market share in Southeast Asia. With the growing adoption of prepaid cards and a higher percentage of the unbanked population, the Filipino market is a no-brainer for financial services players to expand their product offerings in the country. For instance,
• In December 2020, India-based payments solution firm, Pine Labs, announced that the company is looking to expand its product offering in overseas markets, including the Philippines. Pine Labs announced that the company is planning to launch prepaid vouchers and gift card solutions for Filipino consumers by mid-2021. The payments solution firm will launch the prepaid payment instrument for Filipinos through its subsidiary company Qwikcilver, which it acquired in 2020.

Prepaid card providers integrating QR Ph for merchants in the Philippines:

To accelerate cashless adoption in the country and to boost the growth of its prepaid card segment, digital wallet provider, PayMaya, has integrated QR Ph for its merchant partners in May 2021. With this rollout of the national quick response code standard, merchants in the country will accept contactless payments from every digital wallet in the country. It means that merchants will no longer have to use multiple QR codes. They can provide their customers with a more streamlined shopping experience through their partnership with PayMaya.