Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) is expanding its RCBC ATM Go network in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) using Starlink satellite internet to support digital banking access.
RCBC said about a quarter of its nationwide ATM Go merchant partners use Starlink satellite connectivity. This setup allows terminals to operate in areas where traditional telecom infrastructure is limited or unreliable.
RCBC ATM Go, the bank’s community-based “kapitbahay (neighbor) ATM” service, allows customers to access basic banking services through partner merchants. These include cash withdrawals and deposits, fund transfers, bill payments, mobile load purchases, and remittance collection. Terminals are available in thousands of partner locations nationwide, such as sari-sari (neighborhood) stores, cooperatives, and rural shops.
“Sustainable financial inclusion demands more than products; it requires connectivity,” said Lito Villanueva, executive vice president and chief innovation and inclusion officer of RCBC. “By adopting satellite internet as a backbone for service delivery in remote and GIDA communities, RCBC is delivering on the promise of inclusive digital banking for all Filipinos.”
This supports the initiative of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to use satellite connectivity to improve financial inclusion in underserved communities. The bank said the adoption supports the BSP’s goal of narrowing the digital gap and increasing the use of digital payments outside major cities.
With satellite coverage, ATM Go terminals now serve communities across all 82 provinces, including parts of southern Mindanao where network connectivity has been a challenge.