Interoperability vital as 24/7 push hits 'fragmented' Philippine payments

Fragmented ecosystems and limited wallet acceptance will cause abandoned transactions.

The entrance of Apple Pay and Google Pay, as well as the central bank push for 24/7 real-time payments, will shape the Philippine digital payments landscape in 2026, according to fintech platform Fiuu.

Interoperability is non-negotiable this year, with consumers now expecting to be able to pay using any wallet without friction, said Fiuu.

“Interoperability in 2026 is not about innovation. It is about meeting minimum commercial expectations in an increasingly competitive retail environment where consumers expect to tap and pay instantly, regardless of channel or purchase size,” said Eng Sheng Guan, CEO of Fiuu.

Fragmented ecosystems, limited wallet acceptance, or system downtime increasingly result in abandoned transactions rather than workarounds, Fiuu warned.

Cashless-by-default retail is expected to further take hold, with consumers becoming more comfortable with cash-lite and cashless environments.

Embedded credit and buy now pay later (BNPL) will also continue to expand, it said.

A separate study by TransUnion found that Filipinos outside of the capital area show greater openness to use non-conventional financial solutions like mobile loan apps, money lending services , and microloan providers.

Overall, Filipinos’ trust in credit products improved in 2025, but concerns over high interest rates and fraud continue to weigh on adoption, according to TransUnion.