by Eric Montelibano · Published on BusinessMirror June 12, 2025
The Bank Marketing Association of the Philippines (BMAP) recently attended Digital Banker’s AI Cloud and Cybersecurity Congress 2025 at the Dusit Thani in Makati. Among the resource speakers was Albert Tinio, Co-CEO of GoTyme Bank, who talked about “What it Takes to Move the Philippines Toward a Truly Cash-Lite Society.”
Albert shared his views on what has made GoTyme one of the fastest-growing digital banks in the country. I want to share the points he presented:
1. Simplicity wins—they designed an app that is easy to follow and intuitive to attract the unbanked and underbanked sectors.
2. Physical presence builds emotional connection. Having ambassadors on the ground, cashiers accepting deposits and withdrawals, and realizing that there’s a person at the other end of the phone, that one is not talking to a “bot” or AI builds connection. AI can assist that person, though.
3. Reinforcing behavior. If depositing and withdrawing money is simple, easy, and something practical and familiar, customers will keep doing it over and over again. If borrowing money is based on an algorithm that computes a score based on their transactions, it is easier for them. They’ll keep on doing it over and over again and will tell their family, neighbors, and friends. That builds connections and snowballs.
Albert was asked what he thinks would be the measures of success.
1. If finance becomes pervasive and very invisible, where digital has become so commonplace that everybody’s using it and there’s no issue of trust or access.
2. Human and technology infrastructure blended. AI will not replace humans, but humans who do not study and use AI can be replaced by those who do. Physical infrastructure should be present and blended with digitally enabled financial institutions.
3. It’s not all about compliance. It’s also about behavior first, not just pushing compliance. It is understood why we need this ID, and why it is important and safer for you. The government has to reinforce these. We’re using payments as an entry to all transactions and the government has played a large part by making it simple.
Albert says the journey to a cash-lite Philippines will not be through technology alone. It should be reinforced by first, what’s relevant to the market, to the merchant, and to the community. Second, trust. Access should always be available. When access is down, it’s quickly up. And lastly, it begins with listening to what our customers are saying. Ads should not be too difficult, and branches should be closer to customers. It’s a combination of government, technology, and human intervention.
BMAP welcomes GoTyme Bank to its membership. GoTyme Bank won 3 categories during the 5th BMAP Bank Marketing Awards in 2023, namely, Best Product Program for GoTyme Bank’s Debit Card Program, Best Financial Inclusion Program for GoTyme Bank’s Phygital Model, and Best Customer-Centric Product of Service for GoTyme Bank, A Human Digital Bank.
For more information, visit www.bmap.org.ph or https://facebook.com/BankMarketingAssociationPH.
***
Eric Montelibano is a Consultant of Integrated Marketing and Communications at CSBank (Citystate Savings Bank) and the President of the Bank Marketing Association of the Philippines. He can be reached at erichmontelibano@gmail.com. The writer’s views and his written piece do not necessarily reflect those of the BusinessMirror, BMAP and CSBank.