DIGITAL financial services platform PayMaya Philippines, Inc. partnered with Facebook to allow PayMaya customers to send money and pay bills using Facebook Messenger.
In a statement, PayMaya said customers can start a transaction by searching for PayMayaOfficial on Messenger using an Android device. A chatbot will then guide the user on the available menu options. Non-users can create an account using Messenger, while those who already have the PayMaya app can link their wallet to Messenger.
Customers can use Messenger to, pay bills, inquire about their PayMaya wallet balance, and send money to other Messenger users, including non-users of PayMaya. Customers can also buy mobile load at a discount via Messenger.
“This integration with Messenger represents an exciting new way to reach the unserved and underserved people and communities in the country by making payments available via social,” Paolo Azzola, Chief Operating Officer of PayMaya Philippines, said in a statement. “Our mission is to make cashless payments available for all and this new channel via Messenger will help us enable more people.”
This move will allow PayMaya to enhance its efforts in broadening its base as it targets double-digit growth in users this year, with Facebook Messenger being one of the widely used messaging apps in the Philippines.
Facebook Product Manager Ginger Baker said in a statement: “We’re excited to work with PayMaya to give people in the Philippines new tools to access their money using Messenger. Our goal is to amplify the reach and impact of providers like PayMaya by enabling tools that allow them to connect people with the services and friends they care about.”
PayMaya is a subsidiary of Voyager Innovations, the digital innovations arm of PLDT Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. – Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo
