The Philippine government has made its Retail Treasury Bonds (RTB) available for the first time on an e-wallet platform, allowing small investors to purchase government securities through the GBonds feature on GCash.
The move is a “monumental step toward our goal of a more financially inclusive Philippines,” said National Treasurer Sharon Almanza.
“This collaboration significantly expands our reach, enabling more Filipinos to invest in government securities easily and securely,” she said.
The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) initially planned to issue a minimum of P30 billion for the five-year RTBs. However, due to strong investor demand, it sold P210 billion during the rate-setting auction, which resulted in a 6-percent coupon rate.
GCash users who sign up for GBonds can purchase the 31st Retail Treasury Bond Issuance (RTB 31) from Aug. 5 until the offer period ends on Aug. 15. The minimum investment is P5,000 with no extra fees.
“More Filipinos will have the chance to take part in nation-building while taking a significant step toward their financial goals through this innovation,” said Martha Sazon, president and chief executive of GCash parent Mynt.
“In making RTBs more accessible to millions more Filipinos, we’re also enabling retail investors to contribute to the P2.6 trillion borrowing program of the government to fund essential projects,” said Sazon.
The GBonds feature, which became available to the public in July, is powered by Philippine Digital Asset Exchange (PDAX) and Bonds.ph in partnership with the Bureau of the Treasury. It allows fully verified users to access fixed-income government securities without a bank account.
To register, fully verified GCash users should open the app, go to GInvest, select GBonds and register for a PDAX account.
