Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has partnered with Visa to launch a real-time cross-border payment service aimed at speeding up international money transfers and expanding digital remittance options.
The collaboration integrates Visa Direct into BPI’s digital channels, allowing customers to send funds abroad to bank accounts, cards and e-wallets.
The service targets retail clients and small businesses seeking faster and more transparent alternatives to traditional international wire transfers.
The initiative extends the “InstaPay” experience—the Philippines’ domestic real-time electronic fund transfer system—to outbound cross-border transactions.
BPI Institutional Banking head of strategy, products and support Joel de Vera said customers are already familiar with real-time domestic payments, adding that the bank aims to bring the same experience to international transfers.
De Vera said the partnership removes “traditional complexity” in cross-border payments, allowing users to send money via the BPI app with greater “ease and certainty.”
Visa Philippines country manager Jeffrey Navarro said the collaboration supports efforts to help Filipino businesses “connect to more opportunities globally through the power of secure and seamless money movement.”
Visa Direct reaches more than 12 billion endpoints across 195 countries and territories and supports 150 currencies.
The launch comes amid rising adoption of digital financial services. Visa’s Money Travels: 2025 Digital Remittances Adoption Report, based on a survey of 44,000 respondents across 20 markets, showed 74% of Filipinos have sent money digitally, while 66% prefer receiving funds through digital channels.
The report also found that 76% of Filipino respondents send remittances at least once a year, with 45% viewing digital methods as safe and secure.
BPI, the banking arm of the Ayala Group, is positioning itself as a key player in the shift toward digital payments.
