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BSP states Apple Pay free to launch in Philippines anytime

Cristina Joy Valerio Senior Writer January 26, 2026 · 1 min read

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Apple Pay may enter the Philippine market at any time according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

After BSP confirmed Apple Pay is not classified as an operator of payment system (OPS), they have stated that they may launch in the Philippines at any time.

“We abide by the determination that it’s not an OPS,” BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto E. Tangonan said “So, Google Pay has launched. It’s up to them when they will launch.”

The BSP made the same determination in mid-2025 for both Apple Pay and Google Pay. In November, Google Pay officially entered the Philippines through Google Wallet which allows users to link debit and credit cards.

While earlier reports suggested Apple Pay could arrive by the third quarter, Tangonan said the BSP has not been informed of any launch timeline.

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Cristina Joy Valerio

Senior Writer

Cristina Joy D. Valerio, more commonly known as CJ to most, is a Multimedia Producer at Yugatech. She has an interest in the evolving world that is technology. Apart from that, she organizes D&D sessions, plays video games, and watches anime to kill time. CJ's alma mater is iACADEMY and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology specializing in Web Development.

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