PalawanPay supports MSMEs through a digital network, branches at the BIYAYA festival

Mobile wallet PalawanPay showcased its digital payment ecosystem and financial services for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as the official e-wallet partner of the BIYAYA Sustainable Living Festival 2026 which ran from July 17 to 19 at SM Megamall.

The BIYAYA festival brought together sustainability advocates, social enterprises, coffee producers, artists, and purpose-driven businesses.

PalawanPay enabled cashless transactions throughout the event, including the festival’s Coffee Village, allowing visitors and merchants to make digital payments while accessing Palawan Group’s comprehensive financial services.

Palawan Group of Companies vice chairman and chief financial officer Lilian Castro-Selda said the partnership is in line with the company’s mission to expand access to finance while supporting Filipino entrepreneurs.

“Our partnership with BIYAYA demonstrates the importance of collaboration in creating more connected communities, while digital solutions like PalawanPay help individuals and businesses adopt simpler and more inclusive ways of doing things,” said Ms. Castro-Selda.

He said the company was attracted by BIYAYA’s mission to develop local industries, especially coffee farmers and weavers who have received international recognition.

“We were very interested from the moment we met them because these are small coffee farmers who are winning all over the world,” he said. “We are here to help support our small businesses.”

Ms. Castro-Selda said Palawan Group supports MSMEs with Palawan Credit loan products, pawnshop financing, and the company’s national branch network, which provides access to services such as deposits and withdrawals, withdrawals, payments, collections, and other banking services.

He said the company’s physical presence complements its digital platform, allowing customers to choose between cash and electronic transactions.

“For them, it will be easy because Palawan Pawnshop is already in their communities. If they need digital, it is there. If they need cash, they can go to the nearest Palawan branch,” he said.

The company also said that PalawanPay offers merchants the lowest cost of accepting digital payments by charging a merchant discount rate of less than 1%, which it said is below industry standard rates.

According to Ms. Castro-Selda, one challenge MSMEs face is the fees charged for accepting digital payments, adding that PalawanPay wants to make digital transactions more accessible while providing support through its more than 3,800 branches nationwide.

“If vendors encounter problems with their terminals or QR Ph stands, they know there is a nearby Palawan branch they can approach,” he said.

The company also highlighted its free branch deposit service regardless of amount, as well as the P5 InstaPay transfer fee, which Ms. Castro-Selda said helps keep transaction costs low for customers.
Ms. Castro-Selda said that the group’s more than four decades of operations have built trust and encouraged digital adoption among Filipinos who are still hesitant to use e-wallets.

“Palawan Pawnshop as a group is the most trusted pawn shop in the Philippines,” he said.

“For the past 41 years, we have established trust in our product, and we are there in reality. Since then, we have been teaching customers that digital is simple and easy to use, while assuring them that if they need money, we are still here,” he added.

Mrs. Castro-Selda said Palawan Group’s strategy is to provide a seamless experience across its digital wallets and physical branches.

“The aim is that all services in the branch should be in PalawanPay, and all PalawanPay services should be available in the branch, That is our difference. We are not only digital-we have both brick and mortar and digital,” he said.

PalawanPay currently has 23 million users, according to the company. Through its participation in BIYAYA, the Palawan Group said it aims to demonstrate how digital financial services can strengthen local businesses while promoting broader financial inclusion. – Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba