For many Filipino freelancers working with overseas clients, getting paid can involve more than simply receiving a bank transfer. Processing delays, foreign exchange costs, and intermediary fees can reduce the amount that ultimately reaches their accounts.
Global payments platform Higlobe said a partnership with Philippine digital asset platform Coins.ph has helped improve the efficiency of its local payout operations, allowing the company to lower backend costs and speed up fund transfers for customers in the country.
According to Higlobe, integrating with Coins.ph’s local payout infrastructure reduced its backend payout costs by approximately 14%. The company said it used the savings to offer more competitive pricing to customers rather than retaining them as additional profit.
“Our goal has always been to help customers keep more of what they earn,” Higlobe Country Manager Algie Mabasa said.
Partnership aims to streamline cross-border freelancer payouts nationwide
IMAGE CREDIT: Coins.ph
Under the partnership, Higlobe provides customers with dedicated US dollar or euro receiving accounts, allowing overseas clients to send payments through domestic bank transfers in their respective countries.
Once the funds are received, they are processed through Coins.ph‘s regulated settlement infrastructure before being converted into Philippine pesos and credited to the recipient’s local bank account.
Higlobe said the arrangement enables faster payouts, including during weekends and holidays, compared with its previous setup, which relied on an international payout provider.
According to the company, the earlier infrastructure resulted in higher operating costs and limited payout availability outside regular banking hours.
Mabasa said customers have responded positively to the changes since the integration.
“One thing we really appreciate is how proactive the Coins team is,” she said. “Whenever there are scheduled bank maintenance windows, they let us know ahead of time so we can communicate with our users and manage expectations. That level of partnership has helped us provide a much more reliable customer experience.”
She added that some users have also reported tangible savings from lower transaction costs.
“One freelancer told us the money saved after switching to Higlobe was enough to buy a sack of rice for their family every month,” Mabasa said.
Coins.ph Chief Executive Officer Wei Zhou
For Coins.ph Chief Executive Officer Wei Zhou, partnerships in the payments space require more than technical integration.
“A successful integration requires more than connecting APIs,” Zhou said. “It requires operational alignment, regulatory trust, and infrastructure that partners can rely on as they grow.”
The collaboration comes as cross-border payment providers continue to look for ways to improve settlement efficiency for freelancers, remote workers, and businesses serving international clients. The Philippines is estimated to have more than 1.5 million freelancers, many of whom rely on digital payment platforms to receive income from overseas.
While Higlobe cited lower costs and faster payouts following the integration, the companies did not disclose the financial terms of the partnership or provide independent data comparing their service with other cross-border payment providers.
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Disclaimer: This article is based primarily on information and interviews provided by Higlobe and Coins.ph and has been edited for clarity and journalistic style. Statements regarding operational performance, pricing, and customer outcomes are attributed to the companies unless otherwise indicated. FintechNewsPH publishes this report as a news article and does not endorse any financial product, digital asset, virtual asset service provider, or payment platform.
