BillEase injects P500-M capital into rural bank for digital-first push

CONSUMER FINANCE and buy now, pay later provider BillEase has infused P500 million in capital into its rural banking arm Rural Bank of Sta. Maria-Ilocos Sur, Inc. (RBSM), with plans to add another P500 million later this year as it plans to offer digital financial services.

This puts BillEase on track to bring the total capitalization of RBSM to more than P1 billion by the end of the year, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

The additional funds will be used for core system modernization, capital strengthening and governance, and product innovation.

BillEase said it aims to transform the bank’s infrastructure to enable scalable, digital-first banking operations.

It also plans to launch digital banking products, expanding into savings, deposits, and other financial services, to add to its current offering of consumer credit.

This would mark the second phase of the company’s growth strategy, which will focus on building regulated banking services on top of its digital lending platform.

“We have built a strong, profitable digital lending business but our customers need more than credit,” BillEase Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Georg Steiger said in a press release on Wednesday. “The bank gives us the foundation to serve them better, with savings, deposits and a fuller set of everyday financial services.”

“We are deeply encouraged by this strong vote of confidence at a pivotal moment in our transformation,” RBSM President and CEO Dennis Valdes said. “We are in the midst of a comprehensive upgrade of our core systems as we prepare to launch our banking services. This capital provides the foundation to accelerate the rollout of new products that build on the BillEase group’s promise of fast, safe and reliable financial access for millions more Filipinos.”

BillEase acquired more than 90% of RBSM in November last year and said it plans to begin rolling out banking services by the third quarter of this year.

The company, which is operated by First Digital Finance Corp., booked a net profit of P840 million last year as its revenues surged by over 80% to P9.3 billion.

Its consumer loan portfolio grew by more than 75% year on year to about P11.9 billion in 2025 as it onboarded more than 100,000 new customers every month, it added.

Year to date, BillEase has disbursed P130 billion in loans. — A.M.C. Sy