The Palawan Group of Companies, the home-grown giant behind Palawan Pawnshop and PalawanPay, has capped its 40th-anniversary milestone with a historic streak of global accolades, signaling a dominant era for the Philippines’ “bricktech” sector.
Closing out 2025 on a record-breaking high, the group secured an unprecedented haul of trophies from the 12th International Finance Awards (IFA), the Stevie Asia-Pacific Awards, and the Marketing Technology Awards. The sweep cements the company’s evolution from a traditional pawnshop into a sophisticated financial ecosystem that bridges the gap between physical branches and digital innovation.
Palawan Group: Dominating the ‘bricktech’ frontier
Palawan Pawnshop, Palawan Express Pera Padala, and PalawanPay were recognized at the 12th
International Finance Awards for their innovation and excellence.
While many fintech players struggle to reach the “unbanked” in remote provinces, the Palawan Group has successfully leveraged its massive network of 70,000 branches and outlets to drive its digital agenda.
The company’s e-wallet arm, PalawanPay, emerged as a standout performer, earning the title of Most Innovative E-Wallet at the 12th IFA. With over 20 million users, the app has become a central hub for Filipinos to pay bills, renew pawn items, and purchase jewelry. Its marketing prowess was further validated at the YouTube Works Awards Southeast Asia and the Marketing Technology Awards 2025, where it bagged Silver and Bronze honors for its advanced use of omni-channel automation.
“We are proud of these recognitions, but our work doesn’t stop here,” said Karlo M. Castro, President and CEO of Palawan Group. “As we move into 2026, we will keep raising the bar for innovation to ensure every Filipino can access reliable and meaningful financial solutions.”
Innovation across the payment ecosystem
PalawanPay also triumphed at the Marketing Technology Awards, earning recognition for its outstanding use of marketing platforms to engage customers and drive measurable results.
The group’s legacy services also received modern-day validation:
- Palawan Pawnshop: Named Best Pawning Company (IFA 2024), lauded for its digital pivots like online pawn renewals.
- Palawan Express Pera Padala: Awarded Most Innovative Remittance Company for its tech-driven customer service that reaches the country’s most remote “barangays.”
- ProtekTODO: The group’s microinsurance arm took home a Bronze Stevie for its affordable critical illness coverage, proving that financial protection can be accessible to the masses.
Fueling community and B2B growth
Palawan for Business was honored at the NEXT Awards Asia-Pacific for its contributions to community development and government initiatives.
Beyond consumer services, the group’s B2B division, Palawan for Business, was honored at the NEXT Awards Asia-Pacific for its silver-winning innovative campaigns. By transforming branches into micro-payout hubs for government financial aid, the group has become a critical partner in national development.
Bernard Kaibigan, Group Marketing Head, emphasized that the 2025 win-streak is a testament to their “mura, mabilis, at walang kuskos-balungos” (affordable, fast, and hassle-free) philosophy. “These accolades affirm the hard work of our team and the trust of our sukis (loyal customers),” he noted.
The road to 2026
The Palawan Group of Companies won seven Stevie Awards for its outstanding achievements in advancing financial inclusion and implementing impactful marketing strategies.
As the Palawan Group enters its fifth decade, the 2025 record-year serves as a launchpad for further expansion.
With a hybrid “bricktech” strategy that combines the trust of physical storefronts with the speed of an e-wallet, the company is well-positioned to remain the market leader in the Philippines’ rapidly evolving fintech landscape.
For a group that started 40 years ago as a single pawnshop, the message to the market is clear: the future of Filipino finance is inclusive, digital, and record-breaking.
