PalawanPay backs MSMEs with digital, branch network at BIYAYA festival

Mobile e-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.

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

PalawanPay powered cashless transactions across the event, including the festival’s Coffee Village, allowing visitors and merchants to make digital payments while accessing the broader suite of Palawan Group’s financial services.

Palawan Group of Companies vice chairman and chief financial officer Lilian Castro-Selda said the partnership aligns with the company’s goal of expanding financial access while supporting Filipino entrepreneurs.

“Our partnership with BIYAYA reflects the importance of collaboration in creating more connected communities, while digital solutions like PalawanPay help individuals and businesses embrace more convenient and inclusive ways of transacting,” Ms. Castro-Selda said.

She said the company was drawn to BIYAYA’s mission of promoting local industries, particularly coffee farmers and weavers who have earned international recognition.

“We’ve been really very interested from the time that we met them because these are small coffee farmers who are winning internationally,” she said. “We’re here to help support our small industries.”

Ms. Castro-Selda said Palawan Group supports MSMEs through Palawan Credit’s lending products, pawnshop financing, and the company’s nationwide branch network, which provides access to services such as cash deposits and withdrawals, remittances, payroll, collections, and other banking transactions.

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

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

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

According to Ms. Castro-Selda, one challenge faced by MSMEs is the fees charged for digital payment acceptance, adding that PalawanPay seeks to make digital transactions more affordable while providing support through its more than 3,800 branches nationwide.

“If merchants encounter problems with their terminals or QR Ph stands, they know there’s a nearby Palawan branch they can approach,” she said.

The company also highlighted its free cash-in service at branches regardless of transaction amount, alongside a 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 build trust and encourages digital adoption among Filipinos who remain hesitant to use e-wallets.

“Palawan Pawnshop as a group is the most trusted pawnshop in the Philippines,” she said.

“Over the last 41 years, we’ve established trust in our brand, and we’re physically present. From there, we’re educating customers that digital is easier and more convenient, while assuring them that if they need cash, we’re still there,” she added.

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

“The goal is that all the services in the branch should be in PalawanPay, and all the services in PalawanPay should also be available at the branch, That’s our differentiation. We’re not purely digital—we have both brick-and-mortar and digital,” she 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 enterprises while promoting broader financial inclusion. — Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba