Top Digital Wallet Apps in the Philippines in 2022

Tracing their origins back to the 1990s, digital or electronic wallets have become mainstream in recent years, especially in the Philippines. This despite the fact that more or less 56 percent of Filipinos in 2022 have bank accounts, lower than the global account ownership level of 76 percent. Perhaps in part due to the pandemic, the expansion of cashless mechanisms had accelerated, but the Financial Times notes of other factors at play:

Apart from the favorable government policy, factors that enable going cashless are: the penetration of technology, such as smartphones, e-commerce, and internet access plus the penetration of banking services, such as online banking, mobile banking, cards, and POS devices.

Nonetheless, it is not the intent of this article to explore the debate on going cashless. Rather, the following would be a showcase of how big digital wallets have grown in the country. Here are some of the more used e-wallets today.

WeChat Pay

Downloads: 100+ million (as part of WeChat app)

WeChat Pay is a payment feature integrated into the WeChat app, a Chinese app first released by Tencent in 2011 as Weixin. Through this feature, users can complete payment quickly with smartphones. In particular, WeChat has Quick Pay, QR Code Payments, In-App Web-Based Payments, and Native In-App Payments, all to fulfill the full range of scenarios your customers expect to fulfill different payment situation.

PayPal

Downloads: 100+ million

Founded in 2000, US-based PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital payment revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make financial services and commerce more convenient, affordable and secure, the PayPal platform is empowering people and businesses to join and thrive in the global economy.

GrabPay

Downloads: 100+ million (as part of Grab app)

Established in 2012, Singapore-based Grab has grown from being a ride-hailing app to becoming an everyday everything app. From food deliveries to subscriptions, enjoy the widest range of their services by choosing to pay with GrabPay Wallet 10, which Grab has launched in 2017.

Lazada Wallet

Downloads: 100+ million (as part of Lazada app)

Founded in 2012, Lazada Group is Southeast Asia’s leading eCommerce platform. With a presence in six countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – they connect this vast and diverse region through our technology, logistics and payments capabilities. In 2016, Lazada became the regional flagship of the Alibaba Group, and is backed by Alibaba’s best-in-class technology infrastructure.

ShopeePay

Downloads: 50+ million (as part of Shopee app)

Launched in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines in 2015, Shopee is a platform tailored for the region, providing customers with an easy, secure and fast online shopping experience through strong payment and fulfillment support. They believe online shopping should be accessible, easy and enjoyable. This is the vision Shopee aspires to deliver on the platform, every single day.

GCash

Downloads: 50+ million

Introduced by Globe in the Philippines in 2004, GCash is an internationally-acclaimed micropayment service that transforms the mobile phone into a virtual wallet for secure, fast, and convenient money transfer. Arguably a household name for convenient electronic transactions, GCash is an app that you can install on any of your devices—be it a smartphone or a tablet. It can be used to buy prepaid load, pay bills, send money, make donations, shop online, and even purchase goods without the need for any cash.

Maya

Downloads: 10+ million

Philippines-based Maya (renamed from PayMaya) is the all-in-one money app for every Filipino. It combines a feature-rich wallet and a secure, progressive digital banking experience powered by Maya Bank that lets you call the shots as you spend, save, grow, invest, and master your money. As the money app that millions use daily, Maya gives today’s generation of Filipino money makers a real chance to succeed and become bolder versions of themselves.

Alipay

Downloads: 10+ million

Founded in 2004 by the Alibaba Group, Alipay is a Chinese super app designed to offer a bouquet of services to bring convenience into your everyday life. Alipay’s offerings span from allowing its users to make payments (send, receive, and spend money with ease), manage finances, choose a suitable insurance scheme, hail a cab, or even order in from a favorite restaurant.

Payoneer

Downloads: 5+ million

Established in 2005, US-based Payoneer is the world’s go-to partner for digital commerce, everywhere. From borderless payments to boundless growth, Payoneer promises any business, in any market, the technology, connections and confidence to participate and flourish in the new global economy. Powering growth for customers ranging from aspiring entrepreneurs in emerging markets to the world’s leading digital brands, Payoneer offers a universe of opportunities, open to you.

Coins.ph

Downloads: 5+ million

Launched in 2014, Coins.ph is the most established crypto brand in the Philippines. Through the easy-to-use mobile app, users can buy and sell a variety of different cryptocurrencies and access a wide range of financial services. You can enjoy easy access to crypto spot trading pairs — from fiat-crypto or crypto-to-crypto.

CLiQQ PAY

Downloads: 5+ million (as part of CLiQQ by 7-Eleven app)

CLiQQ PAY is 7-Eleven Philippines’ mobile wallet. Top up your CLiQQ Wallet and use it as payment when you buy physical merchandise at 7-Eleven or when you shop at CLiQQgrocery.com.

Honorable mentions

The following apps have also breached the 1 million mark in terms of downloads:

• eCebuana (Cebuana Lhuillier)
• LuLu Money (LuLu Exchange)
• ML Wallet (M Lhuillier Financial Services)
• PalawanPay (Palawan Pawnshop Palawan Express Pera Padala Group)
• toktokwallet (toktok)

Disclaimer: This list is derived from various sources, including the database of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on electronic money issuers (EMIs), as well as other references enumerating various e-wallets in the Philippines. For the purposes of this article, the list is limited to digital wallets with corresponding apps available in Google Play Store (with the Philippines as location), and they are ranked here based on publicly stated number of downloads in the said platform. Similar to our previous lists, descriptions were derived from official information provided by the aforementioned entities. Those with no publicly available downloads data, or are currently not available in Google Play, are excluded. Traditional banks (i.e., those with physical presence in the country) having their respective electronic or mobile equivalents or subsidiaries are also excluded.