Mynt’s Martha Sazon and Pebbles Sy Hit the Global Stage at Mobile World Congress
Martha Sazon and Pebbles Sy showcased GCash on the global stage at the Mobile World Congress.
Two female executives from GCash’s holding company, Mynt, represented the Philippines at the the prestigious Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain.
Mynt President and CEO Martha Sazon, along with Chief Technology and Operations Officer Pebbles Sy, lent their voices to key discussions at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC), where they underscored the role of fintech in empowering underserved and unserved communities.
The two tech leaders likewise showcased how GCash has been able accelerate financial inclusion in the country and how artificial intelligence (AI) has made financial inclusion more attainable.
GCash as an All-Encompassing Financial System
During the Fintech and Mobile Commerce Summit: Powering Mobile First Commerce panel, Sazon talked about how GCash first started as a money transferring app before expanding to become a financial system that provided a wide range of fintech services to Filipinos, including those who are unbanked.
“Across the years, and in response to our users’ needs, GCash has broadened its functionalities into a comprehensive selection of financial services, including savings, investments, insurance, and banking,” Sazon said during the panel.
She added, “Our work has empowered individuals to take control of their financial well-being and pursue economic opportunities previously out of reach, all from the convenience of their mobile phones.”
With a goal to address fundamental barriers to financial inclusion, including the lack of infrastructure and the lack of means to boost financial literacy among the public, GCash has been able to raise the number of customers with access to a bank account from 29% to 65%, according to Sazon.
In addition, Sazon also showcased the AI-powered features of the GCash app that allowed for online and offline commerce, such as its in-house credit scoring model, GScore. GScore utilizes a user’s transactional behavior in order to measure creditworthiness.
GCash’s Mission of ‘Finance For All’
Financial inclusion is at the heart of GCash’s operations, and this is something that Sy emphasized during the Platform Economy panel. According to Sy, API (Application Programming Interface) integration has enabled GCash to reach a wider audience and enhance their experience on the app, further emphasizing that its seamless integration will eventually become an integral part of users’ everyday lives.
Due to its API integration, GCash has been able to connect its users with 1,200 billers and 17 insurers. It likewise connected users to four partner banks for savings accounts.
“This is where embedded finance goes beyond just inclusion,” Sy said during the panel. “It’s not just about providing access to financial services; it’s about making them work for people [as they] build better financial habits, protect what they earn, and plan for the future.”
At The Currency of Change session, Sy also emphasized the goal to make financial services not only accessible, but also “safe and empowering.”
“We want to go beyond inclusion and see financial progress in Filipinos, which hopefully can [translate into] financial health and freedom,” she said.
