BPI ready for Apple Pay, now live on Google Pay

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), the country’s oldest bank, confirmed that it has already tokenized its cards and is now awaiting the official launch of Apple Pay, after already integrating with Google Pay.

According to BPI president and chief executive officer Jose Teodoro “TG” Limcaoco, BPI cards have already been tokenized and available with Google Pay, following an update to the bank’s terms and conditions.

The revised terms and conditions allow tokenized transactions, which replace a card number with a unique digital identified to make payments more secure. They also explicitly name Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Wallet as supported wallet providers, allowing customers to store, use, and manage payment tokens.

“We’re already on Google Pay… Google Pay is live in the country already. Apple Pay is not yet live, so you have to ask Apple when they will go live,” Limcaoco told reporters in an interview.

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

Limcaoco last November said BPI was targeting the tokenization of its cards by this year, saying “It would be crazy for a bank not to participate” as the industry prepared to integrate with digital wallets.

The entry of Google Pay and Apple Pay into the Philippines comes as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) earlier said they do not qualify as operators of payment systems (OPS) as they do not plan to hold funds for Filipino users, removing the need for prior registration.

Both wallet providers allow users to make financial transactions through near-field communication (NFC) devices, enabling users to tap their smartphones or smartwatches to make payments using linked debit or credit cards and e-money accounts.

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