Digital-only bank Tonik will start offering its Quick Loan product which is another step in reaching the underserved consumer lending market in the Philippines.

“We estimate that there is $100 billion of potential market for consumer loans in the Philippines, which is currently 90% unserved,” said Greg Krasnov, CEO and founder of Tonik. “Our plan is to change this balance and make affordable loans accessible for majority of Filipinos.”

Tonik’s Quick Loan doesn’t require the client to have a prior credit history or a pre-existing bank account at another bank, relying instead on world-class alternative credit scoring technologies for credit decision.

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“Traditional banks require the applicant to have credit history to approve a loan while 80%+ of the Filipinos don’t have any credit history,” Krasnov said. “As a result, the Filipino consumers are forced to borrow from friends and family or from payday loan providers at very high interest. This damages their long-term financial stability and undermines their future.”

Loan duration

This new product also offers a rapid application path of under 15 minutes, based on an upload of only one ID and the latest pay slip. The credit decision is typically made within minutes through proprietary AI-driven underwriting. Once approved, the funds are instantly credited to the client’s Tonik Account. From there, the funds can be withdrawn through OTC partners Cebuana and MLhuillier, moved to client’s other bank or e-wallet account, or paid out through an ATM or merchant payment using the Tonik Debit Card.

By availing of up to 24 months loan duration, Quick Loan clients can spread up to P50,000 of total loan principal across their monthly budgets. The clients can also set their own preferred monthly repayment dates, as well as save time and reduce their interest rate by linking their salary payroll ATM card.

“We have already attracted close to $80 million of consumer deposits since our launch six months ago,” Krasnov said. “This has validated our ability to rapidly scale our resources for lending, and therefore enables us to grow our loan book fast and without any reliance on third party wholesale funding. So, the Quick Loan is only the first in a range of all-digital consumer lending products that we will introduce over the coming months. Our plan is to use advanced digital technology to help solve financial inclusion in the country,” said Krasnov.

Tonik is supervised by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) through its own digital bank license, and deposits are insured by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC).  Its unique cloud-based solution is powered by global financial technology leaders such as Mastercard, Amazon Web Services, and Finastra.