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GCash, the Philippines’ leading finance app and largest cashless ecosystem, brought the spirit of Filipino independence to overseas communities this month. From the vibrant streets of New York City to the sun-kissed shores of California and the cosmopolitan hub of Dubai, GCash connected with Filipino communities to celebrate a mutual heritage and foster stronger ties with the Philippines.
GCash took part in Philippine Independence Day celebrations in New York City, California and Dubai, where it shared important new developments that aim to make digital financial services more accessible and efficient for Filipinos living and working outside their home country.
“At GCash, when we say that ‘finance for all’ is our vision, it means we are driven to go beyond the Philippines and reach as many Filipinos as we can around the globe,” says Paul Albano, general manager, GCash International. “We are honoured to join our community in this distinctly Filipino celebration, and we’re eager to share all the ways GCash has been continuously innovating and enhancing our services to meet the needs of our kababayan [fellow Filipinos] overseas.”
As GCash continues to expand its reach, Filipinos worldwide can look forward to more responsive services, greater financial empowerment and connectivity – bridging the gap between continents and reinforcing the bonds of community and culture.
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GCash International general manager Paul Albano says that through the company’s expansion overseas, members of the Filipino community will be able to take better control of their finances and send money home to their family and friends more conveniently.
Coast-to-coast celebrations
This year’s Philippine Independence Day celebrations in the US – marking 126 years of liberation – included a June 2 parade in New York City – the largest outside the Philippines. The Philippine Independence Day Council Inc. (PIDCI), a non-profit umbrella organisation of the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations up and down the US East Coast, hosted the event. Now in its 34th year, the parade has grown to become an annual celebration of Filipino culture and a display of national pride, strengthening familial and community ties.
At a booth set up during a street fair in New York City celebrating independence, GCash showcased its partnerships with financial institutions such as Meridian, an instant payment technology company headquartered in New York. The collaboration effectively synergises US-based financial services and the mobile wallets that have become part of daily life across the Philippines.
On June 8, over on the US West Coast, the city of Carson, California held a day of festivities for its own Philippine Independence Day celebrations. The community event, held at Veterans Park, featured food booths, a parade and cultural presentations – all showcasing Filipino culture, as well as offering individuals the opportunity to come together with family and friends.
GCash also set up booths to share the latest updates about its financial services, including its international expansion and its position as a seamless digital financial solution for Filipinos overseas. The app is now available for download in the US using a US mobile phone number. Cashing in and sending money have been made easier and more convenient through direct cash-ins.
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GCash booths in the city of Carson, California, with attendees learning about the company’s fintech solutions via its app, as well as its recent partnership with Meridian.
Collaboration enables international transfers
GCash’s partnership with Meridian has enabled the direct in-app transfer of American-based user funds from more than 12,000 banks to GCash accounts. Upon cash-ins, which come with a US$1 fee per transaction, the service automatically converts dollar amounts into Philippine pesos, with competitive foreign exchange rates.
“At GCash, we want to help with the most important thing for our countrymen abroad: how they can care for their families and maintain connections with their loved ones despite the distance,” Albano says. “With GCash’s international expansion, this is exactly what we are doing. We’re making it possible for Filipinos overseas to take better control of their finances, and sending money to the Philippines is more convenient with our competitive rates.”
Celebrating Philippine-UAE partnerships
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Filipino community gathered at the Independence Day celebrations held at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The event, which featured cultural presentations and tributes to Filipino traditions, celebrated the continuous contributions of overseas Filipinos towards nation-building efforts between the two countries. It also honoured 50 years of diplomatic relations between the UAE and the Philippines.
At the event’s bazaar, GCash showcased its global expansion efforts to Filipinos who have made a second home in the UAE, sharing its latest innovations that aim to empower members of the Filipino community working overseas by giving them more control of their finances via the app.
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GCash staff and brand ambassadors showcase the company’s latest innovations and international expansion drive to the Filipino community at the 126th Kalayaan 2024 celebrations held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
International expansion to reach millions of Filipinos overseas
GCash announced in March that it has expanded its international reach and fully launched its global push following approval from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, in 14 territories. Users in the US, Canada, Italy, the UK, Australia, Japan, the UAE, Qatar, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Spain, Germany and Singapore can now use international mobile numbers to sign up for the GCash app. Approval for Kuwait and Saudi Arabia is expected to follow in the second half of this year.
With its expansion outside the Philippines, GCash is able to serve and empower more Filipinos, wherever they may be based. In addition to free real-time money transfers between GCash wallets for convenient access to funds, as well as the ability to buy prepaid credits for loved ones back home, GCash users abroad can now directly pay their bills, including utilities, tuition fees and government bills such as taxes, as well as making payments to more than 1,900 Philippine merchants.
To access GCash outside the Philippines, users with an active international SIM card can download the app from Google Play, App Store or Huawei AppGallery.
Baker McKenzie today announced that leading project finance lawyer Matthias Schemuth has joined the Firm’s Singapore office* as a Principal and Asia Pacific Co-Head of Projects in its Finance & Projects practice, alongside Partner Jon Ornolffson in Tokyo.
Matthias joins the Firm from DLA Piper, bringing more than 20 years of experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors across Asia Pacific. He advises sponsors, developers, commercial banks, multilateral lending agencies, and export credit agencies on the structuring and financing of large-scale projects. His practice also spans international banking, structured commodity and trade finance, with a strong focus on emerging markets. Matthias has been consistently recognised by Chambers Asia Pacific and Who’s Who Legal as a leading project finance practitioner.
James Huang, Managing Principal of Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow in Singapore, said: “We are excited to welcome Matthias to our team. His expertise and proven record in managing teams will be invaluable as we expand our regional and global finance offerings for clients.”
Emmanuel Hadjidakis, Asia Pacific Chair of Baker McKenzie’s Banking & Finance Practice, commented: “Asia Pacific is seeing strong momentum in infrastructure development, energy transition investments, and cross-border project financing, much of it centred in Singapore. Having Matthias on board will further enhance our ability to help clients seize opportunities in the region’s evolving energy and infrastructure markets.”
Steven Sieker, Baker McKenzie’s Asia Chief Executive, added: “Matthias’s appointment underscores Baker McKenzie’s continued commitment to investing in exceptional talent across key markets to support our clients in navigating today’s increasingly complex business and regulatory environment.”
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Matthias said: “I’m thrilled to join Baker McKenzie and contribute to its strong growth in Asia Pacific. The Firm’s global reach and local depth provide an unparalleled platform for delivering innovative projects and financing solutions to clients in this dynamic region.”
With more than 2,700 deal practitioners in more than 40 jurisdictions, Baker McKenzie is a transactional powerhouse. The Firm excels in complex, cross-border transactions; over 65% of our deals are multijurisdictional. The teams are a hybrid of ‘local’ and ‘global’, combining money-market sophistication with local excellence. The Firm’s Banking & Finance lawyers are ranked in more jurisdictions than any other firm by Chambers.
Matthias’s hire continues the expansion of Baker McKenzie’s global team. His joining follows the recent arrivals of Carole Turcotte in Toronto; Tom Oslovar in Palo Alto; Jenny Liu in New York and Palo Alto; Helen Johnson, Mark Thompson, Nick Benson, Kevin Heverin, James Wyatt and Michal Berkner in London; Jan Schubert in Frankfurt; Todd Beauchamp and Charles Weinstein in Washington DC; Dan Ouyang, Winfield Lau, and Ke (Ronnie) Li in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong; and Alexander Stathopoulos in Singapore.
*Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow is the member firm of Baker McKenzie in Singapore
The Federal Reserve gave investors an early Christmas present by lowering interest rates by 25 basis points (i.e., 0.25%) marking its third rate cut this year. In the past, a change like this in the “long end” of the interest rate yield curve has triggered a predictable, investable pattern. Typically, this pattern would be bearish for finance stocks, particularly banks—investors would buy bank stocks when rates rose and sell them as rates fell….
Dozens of protesters from the “Religious Zionist Reservists Forum” and the “Shared Service Forum” demonstrated Saturday evening outside the home of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in Kedumim.
The protesters arrived with a direct and pointed message, centered on a symbolic “draft order,” calling on Smotrich to “enlist” on behalf of the State of Israel and oppose what they termed the “sham law” being advanced by MK Boaz Bismuth and the Knesset’s haredi parties.
Among the protesters in Kedumim were the parents of Sergeant First Class (res.) Amichai Oster, who fell in battle in Gaza. Amichai grew up in Karnei Shomron and studied at the Shavei Hevron yeshiva.
Protesters held signs reading: “Smotrich, enlist for us,” along with the symbolic “draft order,” calling on him to “enlist for the sake of the State’s security and to save the people’s army – stand against the bill proposed by Bismuth and the haredim!”
Parallel demonstrations were held outside the homes of MK Ohad Tal in Efrat and MK Michal Woldiger in Givat Shmuel.
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Representatives of the “Shared Service Forum” said: “We are members of the public that contributes the most, and we came here to say: Bezalel, without enlistment there will be no victory and no security. Do not abandon our values for the sake of the coalition. The exemption law is a strategic threat, and you bear the responsibility to stop it and lead a real, fair draft plan for a country in which we are all partners. It’s in your hands.”
