ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Banking & Finance devider Billease ramps up banking push with ₱1-billion capital infusion

Billease ramps up banking push with ₱1-billion capital infusion

Published Jun 10, 2026 10:20 am

Digital lender Billease has committed ₱1 billion in fresh capital to its banking arm, Rural Bank of Sta. Maria-Ilocos Sur (RBSM), as it expands beyond consumer lending and prepares to roll out digital banking products.

In a statement on Wednesday, June 10, the company said ₱500 million has already been infused into the rural bank, with the remaining ₱500 million set to be injected by the end of the year.

Once completed, the capital infusion will bring the bank’s total capitalization to more than ₱1 billion.

Billease said the investment supports its strategy of building regulated banking services on top of its digital lending platform and aligns with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) push for digi-centric rural banks.

Since acquiring RBSM, the company said it has undertaken governance, risk management, compliance, and technology upgrades in preparation for the launch of digital banking services.

The fresh capital will be used to modernize the bank’s core systems, strengthen its capital base and governance framework, as well as accelerate the rollout of new products, including savings and deposit accounts.

The investment comes after Billease posted strong financial results in 2025.

On an audited consolidated basis, the company’s revenue grew by more than 80 percent year-on-year to ₱9.3 billion, while net profit reached ₱840 million, marking its third consecutive profitable year.

Its consumer loan portfolio expanded by more than 75 percent to about ₱11.9 billion, while the platform now adds more than 100,000 new customers every month. To date, Billease has disbursed ₱130 billion in loans.

“We are deeply encouraged by this strong vote of confidence at a pivotal moment in our transformation,” said Dennis Valdes, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the bank.

“We are in the midst of a comprehensive upgrade of our core systems as we prepare to launch our banking services. This capital provides the foundation to accelerate the rollout of new products that build on the Billease group’s promise of fast, safe, and reliable financial access for millions more Filipinos,” Valdez added.

Billease co-founder and CEO Georg Steiger said the company sees banking services as a natural extension of its lending business.

“We have built a strong, profitable digital lending business but our customers need more than credit,” Steiger said.

“The bank gives us the foundation to serve them better, with savings, deposits, and a fuller set of everyday financial services. We are investing deliberately in governance, systems, and processes because a strong foundation is what allows us to scale responsibly. With the initial ₱500 million complete and the balance committed by year-end, we are fully on track with our roadmap,” Steiger added.

Founded in 2017 and operated by First Digital Finance Corp., Billease provides consumer finance and buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services in the Philippines. It is backed by investors including TPG’s The Rise Fund, Burda Principal Investments, and Seawood.

Related Tags

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Billease
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.