Capital A & UnionDigital Bank partner to enable digital banking in Philippines

By Gloria Mathias

Capital A has partnered with UnionDigital Bank, the digital bank subsidiary of Union Bank of the Philippines, involving three key subsidiaries; AirAsia, AirAsia Superapp, and BigPay.

AirAsia is the airline business of Capital A, while AirAsia Superapp is the one-stop travel platform offering services from flights, hotels, ride-hailing, loyalty programs and more. BigPay is the FinTech arm providing accessible and secure digital financial services with the vision of improving financial well-being and accessibility in Southeast Asia.

UnionDigital Bank will provide embedded finance in partnership with BigPay within the AirAsia Superapp travel platform, the main booking channel for AirAsia flights in the Philippines.

The partnership will enhance the travel experience of frequent fliers with flexible payment options with a Fly Now, Pay Later offer available in AirAsia Superapp and exclusive co-branding deals. This will shift how customers plan and pay for their flights and other travel-related services, making FinTech more convenient and accessible for Filipinos.

“For Capital A, the vision has always been to provide low cost, best value services, connecting people and realising dreams, for people of Asean and beyond. With UnionDigital as our proud partner, we are on our way to creating a future where travel meets innovative financial solutions that facilitate everyone’s dream journeys with unparalleled ease. We look forward to working with UnionDigital to redefine travel coupled with FinTech as an accessible and enriching experience,” said Tony Fernandes, CEO Capital A.

Following this, BigPay will be able to serve Philippine customers with secure and frictionless financial services that will improve their financial health and management in the long run.

“As tourism flourishes in the region, we are excited to elevate the end-to-end travel and payment experience of Filipinos through our collaboration with UnionDigital Bank and airasia. Through this partnership, BigPay is one step closer to making our financial services highly accessible in the Philippines, with the mission of empowering people to level up their lives, one transaction at a time,” said Zubin Rada Krishnan, CEO of BigPay.