FILIPINO consumers and small businesses will soon gain faster and more transparent access to cross-border payments after Visa Inc. partnered with Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) to roll out Visa Direct, a real-time push-payment service enabling outbound transfers to bank accounts, cards, and digital wallets worldwide.
The partnership is expected to streamline overseas money transfers by allowing BPI clients to send funds directly through the bank’s mobile app, reducing processing time and simplifying traditionally complex cross-border transactions. It also aims to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and individual users engaging in global payments.
BPI said the initiative builds on its digital banking capabilities and aligns with its broader digital transformation strategy.
“Through our partnership with Visa, clients will soon be empowered to send money abroad directly through the BPI app, enabling real-time transactions that are faster, more transparent, and more secure,” said Joel De Vera, head of strategy, products, and support for BPI Institutional Banking.
Visa Philippines country manager Jeffrey Navarro said the collaboration will help expand financial inclusion and connect Filipino consumers and businesses to global opportunities through seamless money movement.
Filipinos are among the top adopters of digital remittances in Asia Pacific, according to Visa’s Money Travels: 2025 Digital Remittances Adoption Report. The study found that 74 percent of Filipinos send money digitally, while 66 percent prefer receiving remittances through digital channels. Around 76 percent send remittances at least once a year, with 45 percent citing digital platforms as a safe and secure option.
Visa Direct, launched more than a decade ago, enables real-time fund transfers to over 12 billion endpoints across more than 195 countries and territories and supports transactions in over 150 currencies. / KOC