Billease levels up lending with rural bank debut

Billease, a consumer finance firm in the Philippines, is aiming to expand its loan book by 50 percent in 2026, betting that its recent acquisition of a rural bank will allow it to extend more credit.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Georg Steiger, the company’s chief executive, said Billease hoped to grow its lending portfolio to P15 billion in 2026 from over P10 billion this year. But the target would hinge on how quickly the firm could integrate with its newly acquired rural bank, he said.

Billease—best known for its buy now, pay later offering—recently acquired more than 90 percent of Rural Bank of Sta. Maria in Ilocos Sur, with the goal of becoming a digital-centric lender.

“If we start the bank in the third quarter next year or if we start to bring it online in the ecosystem, I wouldn’t expect much in 2026. But in 2027, we expect that we can ramp it up very quickly,” Steiger said.

“Over the past months, we have focused heavily on improving the bank’s capitalization, strengthening governance and bringing in top-notch leadership,” he added.

At present, Billease has features that, the firm said, could rival traditional credit cards. These include zero interest for daily spend and installment options, integration with Google Pay and an in-app function that aggregates discounts from top merchants.

For his part, Dennis Valdes, president and chief executive of the rural bank, said the combined entity would offer “highly competitive” deposit rates to attract funds. They are also considering zero transfer fees for interbank transactions to draw more depositors.

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Valdes added that the group would keep its rural banking license for now, though it may pursue an upgrade in the future.

What’s certain now is that the company would not seek a digital banking permit, as it plans to expand its network of physical branches to meet demand for a traditional banking experience.

“We are now in the process of completely transforming our core systems to get ready for digital-centric banking, with plans to launch our new suite of banking products next year,” he said.