In January 2016, the service was rebranded as PayMaya and, in the first quarter of the same year, reached the milestone of having processed $1 billion worth of transactions.[5] PayMaya reached 44 million registered users by the end of 2021.[6]
In April 2022, PLDT and Smart Communications, the two companies controlling PayMaya's parent company, Voyager Innovations, announced that PayMaya would be overhauled and renamed Maya, coinciding with the launch of Maya Bank. The said rebranding came to fruition on May 2, 2022.[7]
Maya Wallet, powered by Maya Philippines, Inc. and commonly still referred to as PayMaya, allows money transfers between Maya users; send money to other local banks; pay recurring bills; purchase mobile and gaming prepaid credits; pay offline merchants by scanning unique QR codes; checkout from online stores using virtual or physical cards; and get insurance coverage for e-commerce purchases, personal health, and mobile devices.[8]
Although most of the transactions processed by Maya Wallet are generally in fiat currency, it also lets users buy, sell, and soon send and receive cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano and Uniswap in its Crypto section.[9]
As of June 2022, Maya Wallet reached 50 million registered users,[10] making it the second most-used e-wallet service in the Philippines, only behind GCash. As of 2022, there were an estimated 58 million active e-wallet users in the Philippines, with this number expected to grow to 81 million by 2025.[citation needed]
Maya Savings, powered by Maya Bank, Inc., offers retail customers savings with an interest rate of 4.5 percent per annum. During its launch, Maya Savings gave an introductory interest rate of 6 percent per annum to early-bird registrants.[11] When Liza Soberano who previously endorsed GCash was announced to be the newest celebrity endorser of Maya in February 2023, a promotional interest rate of 10% per annum was offered to qualified Maya Savings account holders.[12]
In October 2022, Maya Bank, Inc. announced that it had 1 million registered customers and reached PHP10 billion deposits in just five months after its launch, positioning itself as the fastest-growing digital bank in the Philippines.[13] It further cemented its place as the Philippines' # 1 Digital Bank when it announced hauling a deposit base of P25 billion from 2.3 million clients in August 2023. Maya holds a 61% market share of deposits, a 71% share of depositors, and a 46% share of deposit balances among the six digital banks operating in the country as of the first quarter of 2023.[14]
Maya Bank offers three types of loans under the umbrella of Maya Loans: Pay in 4, Flexi Loan, and Personal Loan. From April 2022 to June 2023, Maya Bank has lent more than P10 billion to its customers, making it one of the most active digital lenders in the Philippines.[14]
In 2021, PayMaya earned two awards from The Payment Association, namely, Leading Emerging Payments Organization Award and Most Innovative Mobile or Financial Service Payments Solution on the merits of PayMaya's commercial success and e-wallet offerings to retail consumers.[21][22]
PayMaya Negosyo and PayMaya's in-app KYC process were recognized as Best in Future of Digital Innovations and Best in Future of Intelligence, correspondingly, at the 2021 Future Enterprise Awards, presented by global market intelligence provider International Data Corporation. PayMaya's QR payments feature, on the other hand, was recognized as Best QR Payment at the 2021 Future Digital Awards for Fintech & Payments, organized by London-based global analyst firm Juniper Research.[23]
Maya Bank was among the 415 banks that Forbes ranked in 2023 based on a global survey of 48,000 customers. The criteria included digital and customer services, financial advice, and user trust. Nine other Filipino banks made it to the list, including CIMB Bank Philippines, Philippine National Bank, and Bank of the Philippine Islands.[27] The following year, in 2024, Maya was once again recognized by Forbes as one of the best banks based on a survey of 49,000 customers.[28]
In August 2023, Maya Bank was also selected as the Best Digital Bank for Southeast Asia at the World Digital Bank (WDB) Awards. It was praised for its recent improvements and ranked as the eighth best global bank by The Digital Banker, the organizer of the WDB Awards. Maya joined other leading digital banks such as Starling Bank, Kokoabank and Revolut.[29]
Maya was recognized by the National Privacy Commission at the 2022 Privacy Awareness Week Awards for its efforts to build a secure financial ecosystem that caters to retail and enterprise customers. The two awards that it got were the Privacy Initiative of the Year for its #FraudPatrol campaign and Privacy Management of the Year for Maya Bank's data privacy practices.[30]
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As the demand for efficient cross-border payment solutions continues to grow, TerraPay, a leading global cross-border payments network, is excited to announce that it has forged ties with Maya, the #1 fintech ecosystem in the Philippines that offers the most advanced digital bank, top-rated consumer finance app, and leading merchant acquiring and payments processing business. This collaboration aims to make international remittances more accessible, convenient, and secure for Filipinos across the world.
With this partnership, users of the Maya app can now experience seamless money transfers from Korea, the USA, Singapore, and the Middle East through TerraPay's extensive global network. Together, both companies aim to enhance the customer experience while ensuring the utmost safety and security of transactions, offering faster transfer times, competitive exchange rates, and affordable borderless payment options.
Commenting on the collaboration, Ani Sane, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer, TerraPay, said, "This partnership aligns perfectly with TerraPay's mission of driving financial inclusion and revolutionizing global borderless payments. By teaming up with Maya, we can serve customers in the Philippines with innovative solutions, empowering them with fast and affordable cross-border payment options. We remain committed to making digital transactions more secure and faster for remitters and customers in the Philippines."
Khurram Malik, Chief Operating Officer of Maya, said, "We are pleased to work with TerraPay to make international remittances more accessible and convenient for our customers. Cross-border payments are integral to the increasingly global Filipinos with family or virtual work opportunities overseas. By leveraging the seamlessness of the Maya app, we are making it easier for them to receive money, save, and spend smartly."
TerraPay and Maya are driven by a shared vision of creating an inclusive ecosystem powered by superior customer experience. By leveraging TerraPay's secure and adaptable payments technology, Maya is expanding its thriving network of customers, promoting global financial interoperability and inclusivity, while opening new channels for customers to access convenient and safe payment solutions across borders.
The Philippines, ranking among the top 5 countries for remittances, witnessed a staggering remittance inflow of USD 38 billion in 2022,1 and the transaction value in the digital remittances market is projected to reach USD 1.12 billion in 20232. These statistics underscore the significance of the collaboration between TerraPay and Maya in meeting the growing demand for efficient and convenient remittance services in the Philippines.
2.2 Affiliates refers to any person or entity controlled by or under common control with another person. For purposes of the Terms, any of the entities under the MVP Group of Companies, including but not limited to PayMaya Philippines, Inc., PLDT, Inc., Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, Smart Communications, Inc., The Manila Electric Company, Maynilad Water Services, Inc., Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, and MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., shall be considered as Affiliates of Maya Bank.
2.7 Maya Savings refers to a deposit product offered by Maya Bank, Inc. in the Maya app where customers are able to make deposits and withdrawals at any time and without penalty through the available channels. Interest earned is computed based on the average daily balance (ADB) of the account.
3.1 You may open and maintain Accounts subject to our sole discretion, upon your compliance and our verification of the requirements, in accordance with the BSP onboarding and due diligence requirements. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:
5.4 Maya Bank reserves the right to modify, suspend, stop, or terminate any of its services immediately upon notice, at any time and from time to time, within applicable laws and regulations of the Philippines.
Pursuant to the IRR of the AMLA, you shall also authorize Maya Bank to maintain and safely store all records of all transactions involving your Account for five (5) years from the dates of these transactions. With respect to closed accounts, we shall also preserve and safely store the records on customer identification, account files, and business correspondence for at least five (5) years from the dates when they were closed.
5.7 We will attempt to process transactions promptly, but any transaction may be delayed or cancelled for a number of reasons including but not limited to: our efforts to verify your identity; to validate your transaction instructions; to contact you; due to variations in business hours and currency availability; availability of the system which may be affected by service disruptions or system maintenance; or otherwise to comply with applicable laws, rules, or regulations.
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