PLDT Inc. said it is open to other partners for Voyager Innovations Inc. after receiving no word from Tencent Holdings Ltd., a Chinese multinational investment holding conglomerate.
“(No word from)Tencent, as far as we are concerned. Look, we’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting. On our part, we just have to assume it’s a no-go situation,” PLDT chairman and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan said.
Tencent is a leading provider of Internet value-added services in China with services that include social network, music, web portal,s e-commerce, mobile games, internet services, payment systems, smartphones and multiplayer online games.
Rival Globe Fintech Innovations Inc. (Mynt), a wholly-owned unit of Globe Capital Venture Holdings under Globe Telecom Inc. and Ayala Corp., earlier signed a strategic partnership with Ant Financial Services Group.
Ant Financial is an affiliate of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group.
Pangilinan, however, said his company was still open to a partner for Voyager.
“We have received feelers from people so, we are open to talking to them,” he added.
The Voyager Group focuses on digital customer engagement, digital marketing solutions, digital financial services and e-commerce platforms, as well as incubation of other new technologies.
Voyager posted revenues of P1.24 billion in 2017, up 70 percent from P728 million in 2016, due to the increase in PayMaya mobile payment transactions.
PayMaya recently teamed up with Megaworld Lifestyle Malls and grocery chain Super 8 to deploy its QR-based mobile payment.
In addition, PayMaya’s QR-based payment system has been deployed in some of the country’s biggest brands, including The SM Store, Robinsons Department Store, Robinsons Supermarket, Robinsons Appliances and other Robinsons Retail Holdings brands.
It is also used in brands under Robinsons Store Specialists Inc. such as Topman, Topshop, Topman, Dorothy Perkins, Burton Menswear, Miss Selfridge, Warehouse, and G2000.
It is available in Ministop, Southstar Drug, and The Generics Pharmacy, Mercury Drug, Fully Booked, and Surplus Shop.