VOYAGER Innovations, Inc. has appointed seasoned fintech executive Angelo Madrid as the president of its new digital lender Maya Bank.

The central bank’s Monetary Board has confirmed Mr. Madrid’s appointment, Voyager said in a statement on Friday.

“I’m truly honored to be appointed as Maya Bank president as we blaze the trail with digital banking services. Our goal is to foster greater inclusion as we offer the best suite of digital banking products and services at scale and with trust and credibility,” Mr. Madrid was quoted as saying.

“Maya Bank will usher the next phase of our digital financial services journey. I’m confident that [Mr. Madrid]’s extensive global experience and proven track record in the Philippines will help us achieve this vision with speed and urgency,” said Shailesh Baidwan, Voyager and PayMaya Philippines president and a member of the board of directors of Maya Bank.

Mr. Madrid was previously with US-based fintech lending startup Tala as its country manager for the Philippines. He led the firm’s local unit to become a team of 200 employees catering to 1.5 million borrowers in 2020 from being a five-person operation back in 2017.

He has over 15 years of experience across banking, fintech, microfinance, and law. He has held leadership roles in Citibank New York, including co-founding a fintech startup within Citi Ventures that uses alternative data to help consumers gain access to credit.

Mr. Madrid was also previously a banking and finance lawyer at Baker & McKenzie (QT) and Sycip Law.

He completed his bachelor’s degree in Management and his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University. He also holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Duke University – Fuqua School of Business.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas granted Maya Bank a license to operate in September.

Voyager Innovations is the digital arm of PLDT. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — LWTN

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