Viber readies launch of own e-wallet

Filipinos may be able to pay for their purchases or send money via Viber by the second quarter of 2025 as the messaging platform giant targets to roll out its e-wallet service in the market dominated by GCash.

Rakuten Viber CEO Ofir Eyal, in a press briefing in Taguig City on Tuesday, said they were working on securing the required licenses to operate Viber Pay soon given the warm reception from digital-savvy Filipinos.

The official said that over a million Filipinos had signed up for the waitlist they opened in the past year, signifying strong interest from the market.

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Apart from peer-to-peer transactions, Eyal said that Viber Pay would also allow customer-to-business payment transactions, in addition to launching debit and credit cards.

Eyal said they were planning to offer cross-border remittance services in the long run, targeting the overseas Filipino workers who regularly send money home.

Ritesh Shah, Viber’s general manager of fintech and vice president of business solutions, said Viber Pay users would be able to top up their e-wallets through bank accounts or another e-wallet account.

To enable more seamless payments, Shah said they were also looking at launching payment features based on QR (quick response) codes in the future.

Viber is introducing its e-wallet service to the customers who have already been accustomed to making digital payments via other digital wallets and mobile banking apps.

Among the leading online financial platforms in the country is GCash, which touts 94 million users.

Still, the messaging platform sees that it can still carve a niche in the market as it seeks to enable seamless transactions.