Digital bank Maya rolled out a new feature that lets app users send and receive money with their username. This gives users options for more personalized money transfer transactions.

Much like how people use “tag” on social media, they can use their @username when requesting payments. It eliminates the need to memorize and input 11-digit mobile numbers.

With Maya’s username feature, users can also choose to keep personal data private, such as account name and mobile number. This feature is available for upgraded Maya app users.

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“We’re excited to be the country’s first digital bank to launch this feature as we continue to help Filipinos master their money and enable meaningful personalization. It’s a game-changer for safety and making our experience with sending money more fun – especially when you attach a GIF to it!” said Pepe Torres, chief marketing officer for Maya Philippines.

Setting up your Maya @username is easy. You simply need to:

1. Tap the “Profile” icon on the upper-left corner and tap “Get Started.”
2. Key in your preferred @username and hit “Confirm.”
3. Finish off by keying in the One Time Password (OTP) sent via SMS.

Once you’ve registered your preferred @username, your friends can now use this to send money to your account with these easy steps:

1. Tap “Send Money” on the Maya app
2. Key in the recipient’s @username, input the amount to send, and tap “Continue.”
3. Review the “Send Money” transaction details and tap “Send.”
4. Wait for Maya’s confirmation via SMS.

A username is unique to each Maya account holder, so choose well. You can have the option to present your username or your mobile number registered to your Maya account whenever you want to receive money through Maya. In general, registration of usernames is on a first-come, first-served basis, and to ensure protection, Maya has provided guidelines for username registration here.