Visa (NYSE: V) has recently partnered with the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) to launch Visa Direct in the Philippines, enabling real-time cross-border money transfers to bank accounts, cards, and digital wallets worldwide.
The initiative marks a significant step in modernizing international remittance services for Filipino consumers and small businesses, allowing outbound transfers to be processed more quickly, transparently, and securely through digital channels.
IMAGE CREDIT: Freepik
The service will be integrated into BPI’s mobile and digital banking platforms, expanding the bank’s ongoing digital transformation efforts and strengthening its push toward more seamless cross-border financial services.
The Philippines, one of the largest remittance markets globally, continues to show strong adoption of digital money movement tools. According to Visa’s Money Travels: 2025 Digital Remittances Adoption Report, 74% of Filipino respondents already send money digitally, while 66% prefer receiving remittances through digital channels.
The study also found that 76% of Filipinos send remittances at least once a year, underscoring the sustained importance of cross-border payments in household financial flows.
More than 45% of respondents also cited digital remittances as a safer and more secure method compared to traditional channels, reflecting growing trust in digital financial infrastructure.
BPI brings real-time payments abroad access
Joel De Vera, Head of Strategy, Products, and Support at BPI Institutional Banking, said the partnership aims to extend the convenience of domestic real-time payments to international transactions.
“Filipino customers already know how simple and reliable real-time payments can be through InstaPay in a domestic setting. BPI’s aspiration is to bring that same trusted experience to the global stage,” said Joel De Vera, Head of Strategy, Products, and Support of BPI Institutional Banking.
“Through our partnership with Visa, clients will soon be empowered to send money abroad directly through the BPI app, enabling real-time transactions that are faster, more transparent, and more secure. This partnership removes the traditional complexity of cross-border transfers, giving consumers greater confidence that their funds will reach loved ones overseas with the same ease and certainty they experience locally,” he added.
Visa expands cross-border payments for MSMEs
Visa Philippines Country Manager Jeffrey Navarro said the collaboration supports broader financial inclusion goals by improving access to global payment networks, particularly for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Visa Philippines Country Manager Jeffrey Navarro
“Digital payments are transformative, and Visa Direct underscores our commitment to help Filipino retail and business customers connect to more opportunities globally through secure and seamless money movement,” Navarro said.
Visa Direct is a real-time push payments platform that enables fund transfers to eligible cards, bank accounts, and wallets across more than 195 countries and territories and over 150 currencies.
The system is designed to support both peer-to-peer transfers and large-scale disbursements, expanding access to faster global payment rails.
The partnership comes as financial institutions in the Philippines continue to invest in digital infrastructure to support rising demand for cross-border financial services and real-time payments.
