Landbank touts digital-led financial inclusion as app logs 1 million new users

Its digital channels reportedly processed 800 million transactions in 2025.

Financial inclusion in the Philippines involves bridging geographical distance through digital tools, according to a senior executive of a local bank.

“Inclusion must be reinforced by digital architecture that transcends one distance, two, income level and three digital familiarity,” Emelyn Justiniano, vice president and head of the digital banking strategy group at the Landbank of the Philippines, told attendees of the ABF IA Summit 2026 - Manila.

The state-owned bank onboarded over 1 million new customers in its mobile banking app over the past two years. This reflects accelerating adoption across not just urban but also rural communities, Justiniano said.

In total, Landbank’s digital channels processed 800 million transactions in 2025, up by 27% year-on-year (YoY)

The bank’s total transaction value rose 30% YoY to about $55b, she said.

Ease of account opening— a fully online account opening journey, and a zeri initial deposit requirement— drove the adoption, she said.

Justiniano also said that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) agreeing to allow the use of mobile for client suitability assessment reports also helped in financial inclusion.

“Financial Inclusion becomes more powerful when digital payments are embedded into everyday routine, the daily routine of Filipinos,” Justiniano said.