In photo: Martha Sazon, GCash President and CEO
GCash President and CEO Martha Sazon was recognized as a Master Innovator for Digital Transformation Innovation during the recent 2nd Annual Mansmith Innovation Awards and Summit. Mansmith and Fielders Inc. is an advocacy-based training and consultancy firm.
Sazon was recognized for helping create innovative digital products and services to improve the lives of Filipinos. Sazon joined other business leaders who were also recognized, namely Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. President Ronald Mascariñas, Cebuana Lhuillier Group of Companies CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier, and Converge-ICT Chairman and CEO Dennis Uy.
During the summit, Sazon shared insights on how GCash was able to drive successful innovations by quickly responding to the demands of customers. She attributes GCash’s exponential growth to introducing relevant fintech products driven by the powerful insights from its customers.
“At GCash, we believe in innovation for good, driven by the real needs of our customers. We look to our customers as our guide, our North Star as we push for financial inclusion. Our contributions in the individual lives of our users add up to a snowball effect that creates meaningful waves of impact in the country,” said Sazon.
Meanwhile, in his opening remarks, Mansmith and Fielders Inc. Chairman and Chief Innovation Strategist Josiah Go acknowledged the hard work that comes along with innovating and thriving, especially during difficult times.
“The pathway to innovation is not easy. The path to creating something not just new but also successful and sustainable is no easy task. However, a little difficulty doesn’t stop people from innovating. In fact, oftentimes, it becomes a driving force for innovation,” he said.
To address the pain points of the unbanked and underserved Filipinos, GCash introduced breakthrough financial services such as GSave for a savings account, GInvest for easy access to local and global funds for as local as P50, and GInsure for insurance in times of emergencies.
“At GCash, we’re changing the mindset that financial services are only for the wealthy by making our digital products more accessible, affordable, and easy to understand,” said Sazon.
Sazon added that GCash wants to help address another concern of unbanked Filipinos – that of having money readily available whenever they need it, especially during emergencies. GCash is helping address this with products such as GCredit, GLoan, and GGives. GCredit has already provided more than 1 million users with accessible credit lines while GLoan, as a quick cash loan, offers affordable and fair rates versus informal lenders. GGives is a buy now, pay later proposition to provide credit to more than 2 percent of the population with accessible installment options.
Aside from these innovations, GCash has also been bringing its services to the grassroots level through microenterprises, which Sazon referred to as the “key to reaching financial inclusion.” which is the company’s vision. With GCash Pera Outlet, sari-sari stores act as hubs for GCash services for their community while helping the small store owners earn extra income and livelihood opportunities.
Sazon also noted that the company has been beefing up its financial literacy campaigns while educating users how GCash services can help them manage their finances and eventually help them achieve financial freedom.
With GCash’s innovative services and innovators like Sazon, GCash is moving closer to achieving its vision of “Finance for All.”
For more information, visit www.gcash.com.
