Philippines digital payments surge as MSMEs adopt QRPh and fintech services

Palawan Group used the BIYAYA Sustainable Living Festival (July 17‑19, 2026) at SM Megamall to showcase its PalawanPay e‑wallet, offering a reduced Merchant Discount Rate for vendors using the national QRPh network. The partnership let small merchants accept cashless payments without eroding margins and linked point‑of‑sale transactions to micro‑financing through Palawan Credit and other Palawan Group services.

Fintech firm PayMongo reported a sharp rise in online searches for digital‑payment acceptance across provincial Philippines. From mid‑2022 to mid‑2026, interest in “accept GCash,” “accept Maya,” and “accept QRPh” nearly tripled, with year‑over‑year transaction volume up 89% and the active merchant base growing 93% between H1 2025 and H1 2026. Searches for payment acceptance rose over 200% in regions such as Northern Mindanao and Western Visayas, outpacing Metro Manila. The trend reflects a shift from dominant e‑commerce platforms Shopee and Lazada toward direct‑to‑consumer sales via social media, personal sites and pop‑up stores, benefitting challenger platforms like TikTok Shop, Temu and Facebook Marketplace.