Youchengco-led Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) is expanding its network of satellite-powered mobile point-of-sale terminals to reach the Philippines’ most remote regions, joining a central bank-led push to bridge the country’s persistent digital divide.

In a statement on Thursday, Feb. 19, the bank said it has integrated Starlink’s satellite internet technology into its RCBC ATM Go network, a move designed to stabilize banking services in areas where traditional telecommunications infrastructure is either spotty or nonexistent.

Roughly 25 percent of the bank's merchant partners now utilize the low-earth orbit satellite service to facilitate transactions, according to data provided by the bank.

The initiative aligns with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) strategy to leverage space-based technology to improve financial inclusion. The central bank has been coordinating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to deploy satellite infrastructure as workaround for the geographical challenges posed by the Philippine archipelago.

For the BSP, the goal is to shift more Filipinos into the formal financial system, particularly those living in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

RCBC’s ATM Go terminals function as “neighborhood ATMs,” or kapitbahay ATMs, allowing users to perform essential tasks such as cash withdrawals, deposits, fund transfers, and bill payments. Instead of traveling long distances to a traditional bank branch or a standard automated teller machine, residents can access these services at local sari-sari stores, cooperatives, and rural shops.

Lito Villanueva, RCBC executive vice president and chief innovation and inclusion officer, said that sustainable financial inclusion is dependent on reliable connectivity.

He noted that by using satellite internet as backbone for service delivery in remote communities, the bank is attempting to fulfill its mandate of inclusive digital banking that remains elusive for millions of Filipinos.

The deployment covers all 82 provinces, including regions in southern Mindanao that have historically struggled with network gaps. By empowering local merchants to act as financial touchpoints, RCBC said it is effectively outsourcing the physical infrastructure of banking to the grassroots level, which in turn fosters local economic activity through digital payment adoption.