PNB enables Google Pay for Mastercard credit cards

The Philippine National Bank (PNB) on Friday announced the availability of Google Pay for its Mastercard credit cards, allowing enrolled cardholders to make payments by tapping their smartphones.

According to PNB, the service is in line with its broader tokenization strategy aimed at strengthening payment security and supporting its long-term digital agenda.

“The introduction of Google Pay reflects our strategic approach to innovation by enhancing convenience while strengthening security through tokenization,” PNB president and chief executive officer Edwin Bautista said in an emailed statement.

“This marks another important step in our journey toward delivering a more integrated and digital-first banking experience for every PNB cardholder,” he added.

PNB was the eighth-largest bank in the Philippines in 2025 with a total of P1.368 trillion in assets.

Google Pay officially launched its operations in the Philippines in November 2025, allowing users to tap their smartphones to make payments with their linked debit or credit cards and e-money accounts.

The technology requires tokenization which replaces sensitive card details with a unique encrypted digital token, ensuring that the actual card information is never shared with merchants during transactions.

BSP deputy governor Mamerto Tangonan in December 2024 said both Apple Pay and Google Pay were exploring offering their services to the Philippine market. — RSJ, GMA News