Quoting the 2019 Financial Inclusion Survey, personal finance app Tala said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced that 51.2 million Filipinos, or 71% of the total adult population, remain unbanked.

As it heeds the call of BSP for financial inclusion, Tala said it aims to help unbanked Filipinos use, protect, and grow their money by making loans easier to apply right from their smartphone. It now offers loans applications through the app enabling them to build their digital credit history, increasing their loan limits over time.

“More than 5.2 billion Filipinos own mobile phones and more than 4.6 billion are connected to the internet and yet only 12% of mobile phone owners use their devices to perform financial transactions,” said Angelo Madrid, managing director of Tala PH. “We believe that everyone needs access to financial systems and for them to be in control of their money. By making loans simpler and more accessible, we can promote financial agency and autonomy for more Filipinos.”

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Applying for a loan using the Tala app can be done anytime, with no paperwork or visits to the bank. All borrowers need is an Android smartphone and a valid ID. Candidates will know if their application is approved in minutes. Loans are personalized, with flexible sizes and dynamic credit limits. People don’t need to have a credit history, collateral, guarantors, or a bank account to apply.

Applicants must simply answer some questions and upload a government-issued ID for verification. Once their ID is verified, and load application approved, they can cash out and repay their loan in over 40,000 locations across the country. Applicants can receive the amount via remittance centers, bank transfers, or through their Coins.ph wallet within 24 hours.

Repayments

Repayments are just as straightforward. On the app, users have the freedom to select how they wish to pay. They can choose to settle their loan via 7-Eleven, remittance centers, or e-Wallets such as Coins.ph or GCash.

Tala offers a minimal, upfront, and one-time fee with no hidden charges. This reinforces the importance of transparency when it comes to healthy financial decisions, customer protection, and empowerment.

Worldwide, Tala has disbursed over $2 billion worth of loans to over 6 million customers.

Apart from providing accessible loans, Tala also offers other services to help its customers grow in all aspects of their financial lives. The personal finance service app has free financial education through its robust library of tailored educational content. It also hosts in-person and online communities to help Tala users connect and learn from each other.