Maya, a digital banking and money app, is making it easier for customers to make cashless transactions in public markets across the country with the introduction of the Paleng-QR initiative in Central Visayas, starting with Bohol. The initiative, led by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), aims to empower public market vendors and tricycle drivers to accept cashless payments via the QR Ph, the country’s standard for QR payments. The Tagbilaran City Public Market was the first to be transformed into a “digi-palengke” during a ceremony led by BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Yap.
Basta QR Ph, pwede sa Maya. With just one Maya QR, public market vendors like Agnes Ycong (right) can now accept safe and instant payments from their sukis, even from those who use other e-wallets and bank apps. This is made possible with the launch of the Paleng-QR Ph in Bohol province, starting with Tagbilaran City.
“Small merchants and Filipino consumers are not only enjoying a hassle-free payment experience for their everyday transactions with Maya QR but also creating a financial footprint that allows them to access more advanced banking services offered by Maya,” said Mar Lazaro, Maya’s Head of Enterprise Business. Since its launch in 2019 for person-to-person (P2P) payments and in 2021 for person-to-merchant (P2M) payments, Maya has been at the forefront of the rollout of the QR Ph national standard, and now has over 800,000 merchant touchpoints powered by QR Ph-capable Maya QR.
Building “digi-palengkes” nationwide is part of Maya’s LGUs Embracing and Accelerating Digitalization (L.E.A.D) program, which encourages local merchants and constituents to digitalize their transactions using Maya’s business-in-a-box payment solutions and disbursement tools. In addition to digitalizing public markets, Maya has become the preferred growth partner for a wide range of Philippine businesses, including pharmacies, transportation companies, travel agencies, retail stores, public utilities, food providers, hospitals, service providers, and schools.
Tagbilaran City adopts Paleng-QR Ph to modernize its public markets. With the support of Maya, the City Government has launched Paleng-QR Ph, an initiative by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Department of Interior and Local Government which aims to digitalize public market transactions via QR Ph, the national standard for QR payment. In the photo (L-R): BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat (center left), Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Yap (center right), Vice Mayor Adam Jala (3rd, back, from right), former Mayor John Geesnell Yap (2nd, back, from right) visit Maya booth with Maya employees.
