At the Asia Pacific Smart Card Association (APSCA) Next Generation Payments 2026 conference, GCash joined regulators, industry leaders, and innovators—including the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Visa, HSBC Holdings, EMVCo, and others—to explore how QR and NFC technologies can be deployed to enhance financial inclusion while maintaining security across the Asia Pacific region.

Driving Sustainable Merchant Inclusion

Paul Albano, General Manager and Head of GCash for Business, highlighted the realities of the Philippines’ 9.3 million nano, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), where 8.1 million are nano merchants and 1.1 million are micro merchants. He stressed that successful inclusion requires more than technology—it demands sustainable programs and support.

Initiatives such as the BSP’s Palengke QRPh Plus Program, partnerships with the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), and the DigiCities Program with Start-up Village, Canva, and TikTok, provide guidance to help MSMEs adapt to digital commerce. Albano also noted that GCash Pera Outlet+ (GPO+) is transforming sari-sari stores into community hubs, where digital transactions like cash-in, cash-out, bills payment, and load purchases now outpace traditional goods.

Market Timing Over Technology Readiness

Ferdie Perez, GCash Head of Product Innovation, explained the measured approach to NFC adoption. While QR payments have dominated the Philippine digital landscape for a decade—accounting for 60% of transactions—NFC adoption requires merchant training, infrastructure, and cost adjustments.

With more than 300,000 tap-to-pay terminals and 80–90% of 80 million smartphone users NFC-capable, GCash emphasizes that QR and NFC are complementary, each serving different segments and use cases. Adoption is driven not only by technology readiness but also by aligning rollouts with practical market realities.

Strengthening Security Against Evolving Threats

GCash Chief Information Security Officer Miguel Geronilla discussed the evolution of fraud in digital payments, from account takeovers to sophisticated social engineering schemes. He noted that GCash has implemented biometric face verification early, along with behavioral analysis, transaction monitoring, and real-time friction to detect unusual patterns.

Geronilla highlighted the importance of collaboration across the financial ecosystem and expressed support for the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA), which enhances the ability of institutions to trace and recover funds.

Building Payments Solutions That Work for All

The APSCA discussions underscored that Asia Pacific’s payment evolution depends not on singular breakthroughs, but on bridging gaps between capability and market readiness—from merchant education and infrastructure to adaptive security frameworks.

By grounding technology adoption in real-world market conditions, GCash continues to advance financial inclusion, ensuring its solutions serve millions of users across the Philippines while keeping security and accessibility at the forefront.

For more information, visit www.gcash.com.