GCash and Filipino Community Celebrate Independence Day in New York

GCash highlights new features and latest partnership with Meridian allowing transfers from over 12,000 US banks to GCash accounts

GCash, the Philippines’ leading finance app and largest cashless ecosystem, took part in Independence Day commemorations in New York City, hosted by the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI), a non-profit umbrella organization of Filipino-American associations along the East Coast. The PIDCI’s Independence Day Parade, the biggest Independence Day Parade outside of the Philippines and now on its 34th year, is an annual celebration of Filipino culture, the strengthening of familial and community ties, and a joyful display of Filipino pride.

At the event, Paul Albano, General Manager of GCash International, shared important new features that make digital financial services better for Filipinos living outside of the Philippines. GCash has made strides in its international expansion, with its app now available for download in the US using a US mobile phone number, and cashing in and sending money is easier from over 12,000 US banks to GCash accounts.

“At GCash, when we say that ‘Finance for All’ is our vision, it means we are driven to go beyond the Philippines and reach as many Filipinos as we can around the globe,” said Albano. “We are honored to join our community in this distinctly Filipino celebration, and we’re eager to share all the ways GCash has been continuously innovating and enhancing our services to meet the needs of our kababayan overseas.” 

The celebration of heritage and intergenerational community was held through a full-day cultural festival on June 2, 2024. GCash unveiled a float at its main event, an Independence Day Parade traversing Madison Avenue, that highlights GCash’s main features that help connect Filipinos all around the world, especially with their loved ones back home.

GCash booths were also set up during a parallel street fair between Madison and Park Avenues that featured trade and travel merchants. Highlighting its role as a seamless fintech solution for Filipinos overseas, the GCash booth featured partnerships with financial institutions like Meridian, thus bridging US-based fintech services and the mobile wallet that has become a staple for financial services across the Philippines.

GCash and Meridian enable transfers from US banks to GCash peso accounts

GCash’s partnership with Meridian, an instant payments technology company headquartered in New York City, has enabled the direct transfer of US-based user funds within the GCash app from a selection of 12,000 US banks to GCash accounts. Upon transfer, the service automatically converts dollar amounts into Philippine pesos, offering competitive ForEx rates and a nominal $1 fee per transaction.

Albano added, “At GCash, we want to help with the most important thing for our countrymen abroad: how they can care for their families and maintain connections with their loved ones despite the distance. With GCash’s international expansion, this is exactly what we are doing. We’re making it possible for Filipinos overseas to take better control of their finances, and sending money to the Philippines is more convenient with our competitive rates.”

GCash International expansion to reach millions of overseas Filipinos

GCash announced in March that it has expanded its international reach and fully launched its global push following approval from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Filipinos in 14 territories—the US, Canada, Italy, the UK, Australia, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Spain, Germany, and Singapore—can now use international mobile numbers to sign up and use the GCash app. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia will follow suit in the next half of 2024.

With its expansion outside of the Philippines, GCash is able to serve and empower more Filipinos, wherever they may be based. In addition to free real-time money transfers among GCash wallets for convenient access to funds and the ability to buy load for loved ones back home, GCash users abroad can now directly pay their bills—ranging from utilities and tuition fees to government payables like taxes and contributions—from more than 1,900 Philippine billers.

To access GCash outside the Philippines, simply download the GCash app on Google Play, App Store, or Huawei AppGallery with an active international SIM card. On the app, select the country, type in your mobile number, and fill out important personal information to register– residency requirements may apply. Next, set your MPIN then proceed to log in. Ready your valid ID, like your Philippine passport, for scanning to verify your account. Afterward, complete the facial verification via a selfie and provide additional information, then wait for the SMS confirmation. Upon receiving the confirmation, you may now enter your MPIN and use the app.

GCash is also expected to meet with the Filipino communities in Carson City, California and Dubai, UAE within the coming weeks to share its GCash Overseas innovations.