Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank), the country’s second-largest private lender, doubled its daily transaction limit for InstaPay transfers to ₱100,000, effective April 22, as the industry races to capture a larger share of the country’s burgeoning digital payments market.

In a statement on Wednesday, Aprl 22, Metrobank said the amount increased from the previous ₱50,000 daily cap, providing depositors with greater liquidity for immediate fund transfers across different financial institutions.

While the aggregate daily ceiling has been raised, Metrobank maintained its single-transaction limit at ₱50,000, allowing users to execute multiple transfers within a 24-hour window to reach the new maximum threshold.

The adjustment comes as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas continues to push for a “cash-lite” economy, aiming to shift 50 percent of total retail payment volumes to digital channels.

By increasing the utility of its mobile banking platform, Metrobank said it is positioning itself to handle larger-value retail flows that were previously restricted by lower caps or required more traditional, slower methods of transfer like PesoNet or over-the-counter deposits.

In tandem with the higher limits, the lender is also leveraging a competitive fee structure to drive user adoption. Metrobank currently charges ₱8 per InstaPay transaction to other banks or e-wallets, which it describes as its lowest rate to date.

Fund transfers between Metrobank accounts remain free of charge. The lower price point is a direct challenge to the standard ₱10 to ₱25 fees typically charged by other major local peers.

The bank noted that the expanded limit is designed to accommodate the evolving financial behavior of Filipinos, who increasingly rely on real-time transfers for time-sensitive obligations such as household allowances, utility settlements, and small-business supplier payments.

By eliminating the need for clients to stagger large payments over several days, the bank expects to see higher transaction frequency and improved customer retention on its digital app.