Atome, the Singapore-based financial technology firm, is betting on its partnership with domestic fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. to expand its Philippine user base to more than three million by the end of the year.

Christian Eugene Quiros, Atome president and country general manager for the Philippines, told reporters that the fintech’s one-year tie-up with Jollibee will definitely support its goal of adding over one million more customers in 2026.

“From a base of two million, we have set more aspirational targets and are aiming to grow this to 3.2 million,” Quiros said.

“Our mission is to support the government’s financial inclusion efforts by steadily expanding our reach month on month. This allows us to onboard more users and customers while strengthening our presence in the digital space as a technology-driven company,” he added.

Atome said around 80 percent of its new customers are first-time cardholders, with many using their card to pay for daily essentials such as groceries, transport, fuel, and utility bills. The partnership expands card acceptance across Jollibee’s network nationwide.  

For his part, Reynaldo P. Gabunada Jr., Jollibee Philippines head of regional business unit and national key accounts group, said its tie-up with Atome supports the popular fast-food chain’s commitment to convenience and accessibility by “providing customers with more flexible payment options across our nationwide store network.”

“What we’ve noticed recently is that payment options are evolving, which is why we’re very excited to partner with Atome,” Gabunada added.

Meanwhile, Atome stands insulated from the regulatory squeeze, particularly on lending interest caps and minimum capitalization, although it is still affected by some changes being imposed or sought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

“To some extent, we are affected by the SEC lending cap, but the impact on us is not significant,” Quiros said. The SEC reduced the effective interest rate (EIR) that cash lending companies are allowed to impose on borrowers from 15 percent to 12 percent—a rule taking effect next month.

“That said, since our card is a ‘pay-later, anywhere’ product, customers who settle the full amount on or before the due date do not incur any interest,” he further explained.

Under the draft rule, the SEC is seeking to impose higher paid-up capital requirements on cash lending companies, especially those that operate online. Financing companies without online platforms must have at least ₱20 million in paid-up capital, while lending companies must maintain ₱10 million.

For companies operating online lending platforms (OLPs), capital requirements increase with the number of platforms. Financing firms would need ₱30 million for one OLP, ₱60 million for two to five, and ₱100 million for up to 10. Lending companies would face lower thresholds of ₱20 million, ₱30 million, and ₱50 million, respectively.

Quiros also shrugged off the SEC’s proposal to establish a higher minimum capital requirement for cash lending firms. He expressed confidence in the capital level of the multinational fintech firm, disclosing that Atome had infused additional capital for its Philippine operations.

“Partnering with Jollibee allows us to embed financial and flexible payment access into daily life, where it matters most,” Quiros said. Atome intends to offer safe and accessible financing to individual borrowers.

Atome cardholders can earn rewards by making five purchases of ₱200 or more at participating Jollibee stores within a month.

Quiros expressed intent to partner with other brands within the Jollibee conglomerate in 2026, depending on Jollibee’s willingness. Atome has also established other partnerships in the retail sector.

Jollibee Group’s portfolio of food and beverage brands includes global names such as Jollibee, Smashburger, Tim Ho Wan, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Chains operating across multiple borders include Chowking, Red Ribbon, Highlands Coffee, and Milksha.

Further, locally known brands include Greenwich, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Rick Bayless Tortazo, and Compose Coffee.

Atome earlier said it is positioning itself as a future one-stop shop for financial services. Beyond its buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) product, the firm now offers digital cash loans and a new savings product through a white-label bank partnership.

Last year, Atome received recognition for global retail services following its ₱2.75 billion partnership with Maya Bank.