Mastercard announced today a new partnership agreement with Singapore-based tonik, a two-year-old startup that recently received a bank license in the Philippines. Mastercard will enable tonik to issue a range of electronic payments products that tap into Mastercard’s global network and extensive business intelligence when tonik launches operationally in the Philippines, later this year.
tonik will launch with a full range of banking services including a transactional savings account with a debit card, savings, and term deposit accounts with attractive interest rates, as well as a range of consumer loans in Q3 2020. Debit Mastercard cards will be available to customers at the end of the year and will allow customers to transact and withdraw cash from everywhere Mastercard is accepted. Additional services such as loans, credit cards, and fund transfer categories will be made available in the course of 2021.
“The entire payments ecosystem thrives when fintechs have access to the technology they need to reach scale and make finances widely accessible. tonik exemplifies an agile and innovative fintech whose ambition of driving financial inclusion in the Philippines through digital-first products and seamless consumer experiences is closely aligned with Mastercard’s mission to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone. tonik’s ability to secure a bank license as a startup is nothing short of exceptional and Mastercard is delighted to partner with them to enhance the Philippines’ digital banking space and to boost the nation’s financial inclusion journey,” said Rama Sridhar, Executive Vice President, Digital & Emerging Partnerships and New Payment Flows, Asia Pacific, Mastercard.
Greg Krasnov, CEO & Founder, tonik explicated, “We want to empower the underserved and unserved Filipinos by giving them simple, accessible, and fast digital banking experiences. We want our customers to easily gain familiarity with transacting and banking digitally in order to help them harness the full potential of the rapidly changing digital economy. Our partnership with Mastercard is about injecting more speed, scale, and performance into all facets of our business. Having immediate access to Mastercard’s global payment network, safety & security technology, data and analytics services, AI technology, and cybersecurity capabilities will be essential to tonik’s growth and success in today’s digital-first reality.”
In June, tonik announced the raise of $21M in its Series A round led by Sequoia India and Point72.
Mastercard Fintech Express is orchestrating the partnership between the two parties. The tailored program provides FinTechs such as tonik with increased speed-to-market, access to a suite of digital-first products, and a cross-functional team of experts to provide strategic counsel and advisory across product, partnerships, licensing, and legal to be able to successfully build their offerings.
