NTT DATA drives interoperability in digital payments

Growth opportunities seen through cross-border interoperability and SME-focused solutions.

Digital payments in the Philippines remain at a critical juncture, with significant room for growth compared to other regional markets. At the NTT DATA Payment Solutions Launch in Makati, Sean Hesh, Group CEO of NTT DATA Payment Services Asia Pacific, said the opportunity is not just domestic but regional.

“The opportunity for growth of digital payments… is an opportunity in this region, where the total digital payments portion of transactions is still somewhere around 40- 50%, so there's a long runway of growth for digital payments,” Hesh said.

He emphasised interoperability as a key growth driver. “That interoperability between the various countries in the region is really key, so that visitors from any country can come to their place of business and use their method of payment from their home country, and vice versa for Filipinos going over to Malaysia or to Thailand, or hopefully in the future, other markets that we have where they can use the same method of payment across the board as well,” he explained.

On balancing localisation with scale, Hesh said the company’s platform is standardised but flexible. He added that this approach has already been applied to local clients. “When we spoke to Krispy Kreme earlier today, or to Yellow Cab Pizza, we customise based on learning. It's a product that we customise. The platform itself is a standard.”

Looking ahead, Hesh said NTT DATA is focusing on SMEs across industries, except those deemed too risky. “Whether you are a clothing retailer, whether you're a restaurant, whether you're a hotelier, we support all of those types of businesses with our payment methods,” he said.

However, he clarified that high-risk sectors, such as future delivery models, will face stricter evaluation. “Historically in the industry, mail delivery, future delivery businesses are deemed to be higher risk… and so we consider that a higher risk to consumers, therefore we're more particular about which one of those retailers we do business with,” Hesh said.