HONG KONG — Homegrown Philippine fintech firm Maya is drawing attention from global players, with Bridgewise, an AI-powered investment intelligence provider for the Tokyo-based Rakuten Securities, showing interest in a potential tie-up.

“I feel that this is a perfect time to look for partners in the Philippines. Maya is particularly interesting because of my previous experience. They are one of the largest payment companies,” Kelvin Phua, Bridgewise’s General Manager for Asia Pacific (APAC), said in an interview with Manila Bulletin during Hong Kong FinTech Week 2025.

The interest comes as the Philippine market begins to show a greater appetite for diverse investment instruments.

“Companies like Maya are very close to the ground. They serve a wide population of Filipinos in their everyday lives through payments and other services,” Phua said. “If we enter into a partnership with them, it would be a perfect fit.”

Bridgewise is not alone. Maya disclosed to Manila Bulletin that more than 40 other offshore fintech companies have approached the local firm, exploring potential collaborations. These include China-based Yusys Technologies Co., Hong Kong-based HGC Global Communications, and ePaylinks Technology Co.

Phua argues that the primary hurdle for investment among Filipinos is not a lack of willingness, but limited access to information, which erodes confidence. Bridgewise aims to address this by democratizing market-trend data.

“So, these firms [Maya and other fintechs] are exactly the kind of partners we hope to have in the Philippines,” he said.

Phua remains optimistic about the Philippine market despite current political issues, citing that public reaction to government corruption will ultimately lead to improvements.

“Once all of this is in place, you start thinking about investing in the Philippines—in Philippine companies,” Phua explained. “Our solution doesn’t just cover what’s happening locally; it can also serve as a gateway to open the rest of the world to the Philippines.”

Bridgewise currently partners with Rakuten Securities, an internet securities firm under Japanese conglomerate Rakuten Group Inc.; Israel-based eToro; and the U.S.-based Interactive Brokers. The firm generates over 400,000 weekly reports, delivered to 25 million users globally.

Maya, for its part, confirmed it is open to exploring partnerships with foreign fintech companies, though Bridgewise has yet to formally begin talks.

“That’s always something that we are open to looking at,” Maya Corporate Affairs Head Toff Rada told Manila Bulletin at the festival. “But as to whether or not that will push through, that will have to undergo further discussion.”

“So perhaps not at the moment, but we are considering all of these,” Rada added. “That’s also the reason why we’re here [Hong Kong FinTech Week 2025]—to see what the international market has to offer. Potentially, in the future, we could have that collaboration with them.”