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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Banking & Finance devider Digital lender focuses on low-income Filipinos, pushes for fairer practices

Digital lender focuses on low-income Filipinos, pushes for fairer practices

Published Dec 5, 2025 12:22 am  |  Updated Dec 5, 2025 08:15 am

At A Glance

  • Fintech group Consumer Lending Association of the Philippines (CLAP) has set its sights on onboarding 3.6 million new borrowers yearly starting in 2026, on top of the existing borrowers linked to 33 million lending app downloads online.
Fintech group Consumer Lending Association of the Philippines (CLAP) has set its sights on onboarding 3.6 million new borrowers annually starting in 2026, in addition to the existing borrowers linked to 33 million lending app downloads.
“Next year, one step at a time, we are hoping to reach as many as 300,000 new borrowers every month,” CLAP President Arianne Ferrer said during a roundtable with the media on Thursday, Dec. 4.
Ferrer noted that this collective target is within reach as long as regulatory rules remain stable and consistent and the government continues to support it.
According to the group president, CLAP member companies, including JuanHand, Monee Finance Philippines, Inc., Skyro, Tala, Tendopay, and Savii, collectively have around 33 million app downloads on the Google Play Store, a figure that still has room to grow given the large market.
“If there were absolutely zero constraints, we would love to go much deeper into the market, because they currently don’t have a profile. We want borrowers to come to players like any of us here, instead of going to the local market or a neighbor and ending up with something completely unregulated,” said Moritz Gastl, general manager at fintech firm Tala.
Gastl said consumer lending companies are primarily targeting the D-income segment, which comprises around 75 million Filipinos earning ₱10,000 to ₱40,000 a month. This group includes teachers, drivers, security personnel, and the like.
He added that individuals in this segment often live paycheck to paycheck and need the most access to credit.
JuanHand explained that the lending firm builds consumer trust through transparency in pricing and product use, strong customer support that’s easy to reach, and regulatory credibility anchored on Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registration and a future trust mark.
According to SEC data, nearly 5,500 complaints were filed related to unfair collection practices by consumer lending corporations, a concern that cannot be addressed by putting a cap on lenders’ interest rates alone, CLAP argued. Addressing abusive lending behavior should be given equal priority, the group said.
CLAP plans to roll out a campaign in 2026, urging consumers to report unethical collection practices and predatory lending directly to the association.
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