Allianz PNB Life bags top award for marketing efforts at annual Insurance Asia Awards

Allianz PNB Life continues to display its excellence as a company, this time by winning the Marketing Initiative of the Year: Philippines at the Insurance Asia Awards 2022. The virtual awards ceremony was livestreamed via Zoom.

Allianz PNB Life is one of the major life insurers in the Philippines, and is the country’s fastest growing life insurance company in terms of premium income. Through the company’s purpose of securing the future and bringing confidence in tomorrow, the goal of its award-winning marketing initiative was to position itself as the perfect insurance partner for a new generation of FIlipinos.

Insurance penetration in the Philippines is among the lowest in Asia at less than 2%, translating to a protection gap in the trillions of pesos with millions of Filipinos exposed to financial losses from accidents, sickness, and death.

PSAC initiates efforts of local telcos to promote consumer protection

On Friday, September 9, the Digital Infrastructure group of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) initiated the joint efforts of local telecommunication players (telcos) to uphold their commitment to consumer protection amid growing fraud concerns. During the 2022 UnionBank Innovation Festival held at the newly opened UnionBank Innovation Campus in San Pedro, Laguna, executives of UnionBank of the Philippines, Globe Group, Smart Communications, and Converge ICT Solutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen cybersecurity and combat financial crimes through Fraud Prevention and Data Sharing Measures. This marks the first course of action of the PSAC Digital Infrastructure sector, headed by UnionBank Chief Technology and Operations Officer and Chief Transformation Officer Henry Aguda, shortly after it was formed last month. 

UnionBank announces winners of GlobalLinker Linker.Store Contest

Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) has announced the eight winners of its GlobalLinker Linker.Store Contest, which was launched in February 2022. This was a project under the Bank's 'Tech-Up Pilipinas' advocacy to encourage Filipino micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to digitize their business.

For emerging as champions, the eight companies are entitled to the following: free media mileage from Ube Media; 1-Day 8 Pass worth Php20,000 from UnionBank; plus, tokens/merch from the Bank. They will also be featured on BounceBack Network and Talkshop Asia, the GlobalLinker platform, and be promoted as model stores on the GlobalLinker home page.

UBX, PhilPost roll out Project Kasama Lahat in 13 pilot areas

Kasama Lahat aims to digitally transform post offices into financial hubs to promote financial and social inclusion 

As the country’s premier postal agency, the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost), through its digital transformation and modernization program, has partnered with UBX Philippines, the leading open finance platform in the country, to help the postal service achieve its goal not just the postal needs of Filipinos, but also maximize its power to make sure that nobody gets left behind as they move into the digital age. 

The postal agency will digitally transform its 13 post offices in key areas across the country, modifying the offices into modern hubs that offer financial and data services to their locality. 

After assessing and getting the support of local government units, UBX and PHLPost have identified 13 key areas that are ripe for digital transformation under Project Kasama Lahat. These are: Tuguegarao City; Sorsogon Province; Iloilo City; Zamboanga City; City of Manila; Taguig City; Makati City; Quezon City; San Francisco, Cebu; Davao City; Ilocos Norte; Tacloban, Leyte; and Marawi City. 

Ensuring Your Family is Well-Taken Care of with MediCard

The global health crisis, for sure, has impacted us in various ways, whether financially, mentally, or physically. And yes, because of these uncertain times, we realized the significance of health for ourselves and our family. That is why prioritizing health is now considered a vital investment and not an option in today’s world. 

However, from doctors’ fees, laboratory fees, room rates, medicine, and other outpatient costs, health care in the Philippines is generally costly for an average Filipino. A 2021 report published by the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed that in 2020 alone, healthcare costs for each Filipino were at PhP8,216.42 a month.  

For that reason, health cards are critical, now more than ever, to reduce costs while increasing the quality of care for you and your family. The good thing is that MediCard, a leading HMO in the Philippines, offers a wide range of healthcare plans. 

AXA Philippines wins Health Insurance Initiative of the Year at Insurance Asia Awards 2022

AXA Philippines, one of the leading insurance providers in the country, recently won Health Insurance Initiative of the Year - Philippines at the Insurance Asia Awards 2022 their latest health insurance offering, Health Care Access. The product stood out among other contenders who were judged based on their level of innovation, effectiveness, impact, and dynamism.

Insurance Asia Awards is a prestigious event by Asian publication Insurance Asia that recognizes insurance firms that successfully navigate around various market challenges whilst keeping clients satisfied and maintaining their revenue. In 2021, AXA also won International General Insurer of the Year (Philippines) and the Mobile App of the Year for their Emma by AXA PH app in the Insurance Asia Awards.

“AXA has long been committed to protecting what matters most to our customers. We always want to be there for them, ready to cater to their needs. When the pandemic struck, the challenge of having access to affordable health protection became more apparent. This is why we wanted to expand our health protection offers to more Filipinos. So in 2021, AXA launched Health Care Access to address this. And the success of this product and the recognition from the Insurance Asia Awards is a testament to its relevance. Furthermore, it inspires us to continue innovating to provide health and financial security solutions to even more Filipinos,” said Gael Lapie, AXA Philippines CEO In-Charge and Chief Financial Officer.

AXA Health Care Access is AXA’s comprehensive and affordable health care plan, empowering Filipinos to take full responsibility for their long-term wellbeing by promoting a more proactive and prepared approach toward health. Launched in 2020, it came at a critical point in the pandemic when people were seeing firsthand the importance of being prepared for the financial repercussions of being sick.

Health Care Access provides flexible and affordable health protection for individuals and all types of families to get the total health protection they need. It provides coverage for emergency care, inpatient care, life and accident insurance, and 24/7 teleconsultation. It also has a Longevity Health Fund that can be used for future medical needs starting at age 76 onwards, and offers an additional cash benefit that can be used for other medical expenses, or as income replacement if the policy holder is diagnosed with critical illness. 

It comes in two plan types, Health Care Access Prime and Health Care Access Lite, to allow people flexibility to choose the plan that best suits their needs. Health Care Access Prime is perfect for families and individuals looking for a plan that provides for their primary medical requirements as well as hospitalization. With the rise of the gig economy in the country, this is also ideal for individuals working freelance or those with small businesses who have no HMO benefits, as it has medical coverage of up to PHP 5 million and includes outpatient care and preventive care.

Meanwhile, AXA Health Care Access Lite is created for those currently employed but would like to supplement their health coverage. It has deductible options to choose from which enables you or your existing health care plan to pay for your hospital bill first. 

For more information on AXA’s Health Care Access, visit https://www.axa.com.ph/health-protection/health-care-access.

UBX launches UrGovPH for LGUs’ digital transformation

UrGovPH to assist LGUs in bringing public service closer to the people

UBX, the leading open finance platform in the Philippines, is doubling down on its support to the government with the introduction of UrGovPH - a suite of open finance solutions that enable local governments to digitally transform their services. 

UrGovPH equips local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies with necessary tools that enable them to digitalize public service, supporting the country’s drive of bringing essential services closer to the people.

What makes employee performance gamification effective, according to Sun Life ASCP

There is no denying that work-from-home (WFH) or hybrid models have resulted in marked benefits for employees and companies. However, for managers and supervisors, remote work can pose a challenge when it comes to ensuring efficient performance and communication with their team.

Gamification is one way these issues could be addressed, especially in this age of rapid digitalization. While it’s certainly not a new concept, a well-designed gamification program can help improve employee performance. Sun Life Asia Service Centre-Philippines (ASCP), a company providing contact center, business processing, IT, and Investment Research services to Sun Life’s global businesses with locations in India and the Philippines, has launched an extensive initiative for performance management and learning gamification for its over 800-hundred strong operations team in Manila. 

UBX, SouthBank partner to beef up digital rural banking in Mindanao

UBX, the leading open finance platform in the Philippines, and SouthBank, a rural bank based in Cagayan de Oro, entered into a strategic alliance to provide customer-centric and inclusive digital financial services to more Filipinos in Mindanao.

Under the agreement, i2i, the banking-as-a-service venture of UBX, will expand SouthBank’s financial services to the countryside, empowering the rural bank with the technology to offer digital financial solutions to its customers and clients. 

With the partnership, SouthBank is able to beef up its native mobile application called SBPay, a platform that equips users with financial tools that they can use via their mobile phones. 

4 thrill-seeking activities to try for your next trip

The pandemic has made us more aware of the things we previously have taken for granted. As more travel destinations open up, we’re regaining the momentum to enjoy the activities that were once restricted due to our limited mobility.

To make up for lost time, why not explore new places or create new experiences? If you’re looking to go out of your comfort zone, try out these five activities with a twist:

Swimming or running? Try both!

Did you know that you can do both swimming and running altogether? We’re not referring to the duathlon sport, but actually running under the ocean. Whether you’re a diver or not, sardine run diving at Moalboal, Cebu will surely take your breath away by swimming alongside thousands of sardines. 

UnionBank wins Domestic Retail Bank of the Year and SME Bank of the Year at the 2022 ABF Retail Banking Awards

Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) continues to earn recognition for its trailblazing digital innovations both locally and internationally, recently taking home two institutional awards at the prestigious 2022 Retail Banking Awards organized by Asian Banking & Finance (ABF).

The Retail Banking Awards is an annual ceremony that honors institutions across the Asia Pacific that have successfully created game-changing banking solutions, products, and services benefitting not just their customers, but also the region’s banking and finance industry as a whole. It is organized by ABF, an industry magazine that specializes in feature stories, executive profiles, analysis, and industry reports relevant to the banking and financial companies in Asia.

AXA Philippines partners with Cropital to uplift Filipino farmers

Despite being an agricultural country, Filipino farmers still face many challenges. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the top challenges faced by our small-scale farmers are lack of capital, low price of palay or unmilled rice, high cost of inputs, labor problems, lack of postharvest facilities, pest and diseases, and poor irrigation systems.

AXA Philippines, one of the country’s leading insurance providers, has partnered with Cropital, a financing and marketing platform for smallholder farmers, to promote inclusive protection and financial literacy. Cropital is a globally recognized organization that aims to support Filipino farmers by helping provide them with a sure market for their produce and giving them access to affordable capital through their Sustainability Fund.