Billease, a consumer finance and buy-now-pay-later platform, signed a ₱500-million credit facility with the Philippine Bank of Communications (PBCOM) to support consumer lending, including loans to customers with little or no credit history.
Billease handles loan applications, verifies borrowers’ ability to repay, and collects payments. PBCOM joins Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) and Philippine National Bank (PNB) among the Philippine banks funding the platform.
“A few years ago, banks and fintech lenders were mostly seen as competitors,” said Garret Go, chief financial officer of Billease. “That is changing. Banks have the capital and want retail exposure, and we have the origination, underwriting and collections to deploy it responsibly. What lets a bank say yes is evidence. We now have several years of audited results and loan performance that a bank can test for itself. PBCOM did that work, and we are glad to have them with us.”
Founded in 1939, PBCOM is one of the Philippines’ longest-standing banks and operates as a universal bank.
“This facility enables us to extend our support to the unbanked or underbanked Filipino consumers in a prudent and sound manner, by working with a trusted partner with a strong track record and a good reputation,” said John Cary Ong, president and CEO of Philippine Bank of Communications.
The facility is backed by a pool of Billease consumer loans registered through the Philippines’ Personal Property Security Registry. The loans backing it exceed the facility’s value.
Billease also offers merchants a web platform, Billease Deals, without platform commissions, listing charges, or payment markups. Customers can pay over time using their existing Billease credit limits.
“Each bank that comes on board makes our funding broader and more resilient,” said Georg Steiger, co-founder and CEO of Billease. “It also says something about where the market is going: established Philippine banks are ready to fund consumer lending when it is done with discipline and transparency. In a tougher economy, that funding goes straight back to Filipino households and the local businesses they buy from. We would welcome more banks into that conversation,”
Billease said local bank financing provides peso funding for its peso loans, alongside money from investors and international lenders. The company reported a ₱782-million net profit for 2025.