By the staff
Billease is betting big on the next phase of its growth story.
What began as a digital lending app seven years ago has morphed into a platform serving millions, and now, with a rural bank under its wing, the company is aiming even higher.
Since its launch in 2017, Billease has built a customer base of more than 10 million and released over P100 billion in loans, CEO and co-founder Georg Steiger said in a briefing on Thursday. A strong 90% repayment rate has helped fuel that growth, giving the company confidence to expand into new territory.
Steiger said Billease expects to disburse P10 billion in loans this year and an additional P5 billion in 2026.
The company’s recent acquisition of the Rural Bank of Sta. Maria–Ilocos Sur (RBSM) is expected to give that projection an extra boost. While he declined to reveal how much Billease paid for the bank, he said the initial plan is to act as RBSM’s lending partner and widen the reach of their services.
RBSM president and CEO Dennis Valdez said the partnership flips the traditional model of digital banking. Instead of starting with deposits and later branching into lending, the new setup builds on Billease’s established credit operations.
Valdez said they aim to make full use of the bank’s existing license while preparing “to eventually apply for the digital banking license,” a move encouraged by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
For now, the priority is transformation. Valdez said they are working to integrate Billease’s technology into RBSM and reinforce its governance and capitalization.
“We are now in the process of completely transforming our core systems to get ready for digital-centric banking, with plans to launch our new suites of banking products next year,” he said.
