Two fintech innovators — CIS Bayad Center Inc. (Bayad), the country's pioneer brand in the outsourced payment collection system, and Tala Financing Philippines Inc. (Tala) — a global leading money app for the underbanked, have officially sealed their partnership, sharing the same goal of elevating the financial experience of Filipinos.

Since 2017, Tala has been providing financial tools that help its customers manage their household expenses and help them navigate opportunities to invest in small businesses. Tala has recently reached one million wallet users on its mobile application since its official launch earlier this year.

Through its partnership with Bayad, Tala now enables Meralco bill payments in its mobile application, while also offering quick and easy ways to pay loans, allowing its customers to settle their bills on time.

Today, Tala customers can now pay their bills in real-time using their credit of up to P25,000 all within the Tala app. With its flexible credit terms, customers have the freedom to choose when to repay within 61 days, aligning with their respective income cycles.

Bayad President and CEO Lawrence Y. Ferrer shared, "We continue to strengthen our digital footprint by co-creating payment innovations with forward-thinking fintech institutions like Tala. We are one with Tala as we help boost the financial well-being of our kababayans. We are keen on expanding our biller ecosystem as we bring our one-stop bill payment solution to the Tala App. With this, Tala will also soon be able to accept payments for other electric and water utilities, telecommunications, cable, internet, insurance, online shopping, and many others."

Tala's chief business officer Jori Pearsall added, "We believe everyone deserves access to financial services, regardless of their background or circumstances. As the Philippines is Tala's innovation hub and its largest market in Asia, we view this collaboration with Bayad as part of our ongoing commitment to financial inclusion as we step up to help revive our economy."