AUB expands collaboration with Mynt via PayMate BOTTY
Asia United Bank (AUB), one of the country’s fastest-growing publicly listed universal banks, has expanded its collaboration with GCash to enable local enterprises under its PayMate BOTTY to accept online orders via the newly launched GLife inside the GCash e-wallet app. This allows the merchants to reach 40 million GCash subscribers.
“The partnership with GCash will enable our existing PayMate BOTTY merchants to offer their products and services in GLife,” said Mags Surtida, AUB First Vice President and Cards & Acquiring Business Group Head.
As the global pandemic led to lockdown restrictions, preventing consumers from making in-store purchases, the volume of in-store payment transactions has dwindled. This prompted AUB to launch PayMate BOTTY, an online order acceptance solution to enable merchants to accept orders and digital payments via web, Facebook, and Facebook Messenger. With PayMate BOTTY, merchants can display their digital menu, take orders, accept digital payments, and integrate these with delivery for a seamless online order fulfilment. Merchants’ sales from online or e-commerce is projected to grow by at least 30% yearly.
“With GLife, one of the newest services offered by GCash, our PayMate BOTTY merchants can now also do fully automated selling via the GCash app, in addition to via Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and their website”, Ms. Surtida added.
“Through GLife, we are bringing the merchants closer to our 40 million GCash customer base. Our customers do not need to use another app to order food or retail goods. With GLife, we want to cater to a wide variety of merchants representing lifestyle brands, restaurants, service providers, and specialty stores. Our program partnership and integration with PayMate BOTTY will bring more merchants to GLife,” said GCash president and CEO, Martha Sazon.
The AUB-Mynt partnership started in 2019 when AUB became Mynt’s first banking partner in merchant acquiring. This partnership was borne out of both institutions’ common aspirations to promote digital payments and financial inclusion in the country. The recent collaboration makes AUB Mynt’s first live program partner for GLife. “This is aligned with our shared aspiration to digitally close the gap between the GCash users and AUB PayMate merchants,” said AUB President Manuel A. Gomez.
Back in 2017 when it was launched, AUB PayMate was meant to cash in on the rising popularity of the Philippines among Chinese tourists. The Bank made AUB PayMate a vehicle for bringing mobile payment and digital wallet service leader WeChat Pay into the local market for QR payment acceptance.
Today, AUB PayMate is no longer just a foot in the door for AUB; it has emerged as a partner of choice for many electronic payments players, having the higher number of e-wallet brands accepted under its platform. These include foreign brands such as Alipay, UnionPay QR, Thai QR, and SG Pay and big-name local players such GCash, GrabPay, Shopee Pay, Home Credit Pay, as well as HelloMoney. These partnerships gave AUB the opportunity to build and strengthen formidable relationships with accredited local merchants. It also enables AUB to tap into cross-border e-payment opportunities via its partnership with Singapore-based Liquid Group and position ahead for regional economic recovery and tourism revival.
With PayMate BOTTY, AUB is able to expand its role — from being a payments partner to helping merchants generate revenue by putting them into different digital platforms. “Our promise is ‘one set-up, equals multiple digital platforms’ to help them open more sales channels,” added Ms. Surtida.
Other stories:
