MANILA - BPI on Wednesday said its mobile app can now also function as an e-wallet with its latest feature - Pay via QR.

"While scanning QR codes to pay in stores has been mostly associated with other e-wallet apps, BPI seeks to change user habits and make cashless payment even easier for its clients by offering the feature right on the BPI app," the Ayala-led lender said in a statement.

Users of the BPI app users can now pay stores and restaurants directly using QR Ph codes, dropping the need to cash in to e-wallets first, the company said.  

"We are excited to introduce Pay via QR on the BPI app, providing our users with an easier way to pay merchants straight from their BPI accounts," said Fitzgerald Chee, Head of Consumer Platforms at BPI.

BPI recently charged a loading fee of P10 to GCash, while not charging any fee for loading GCash's main competitor Maya.

GCash meanwhile has said it has given loans to over 3.9 million unique borrowers, of which the majority are from lower socio-economic classes.

Mynt, the operator of GCash earned P2.4 billion last year, which accounted for 7 percent of the Globe Group's net income this year.

The Philippines' largest fintech firm meanwhile has also been allowing users to open accounts in 3 other banks aside from BPI.

GCash's parent Globe Telecom and BPI are both part of the Ayala Group of companies.

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