GCash has introduced Pera Coach, an AI-powered financial assistant built into the GCash app to help users understand basic money management, saving, and investing. Developed with support from Microsoft, the tool uses enterprise-grade AI and can respond in English, Tagalog, Cebuano, and Hiligaynon.
Pera Coach is meant to address gaps in financial literacy in the Philippines, where many users can now access digital financial services but still struggle to understand more advanced products. GCash cites a 2021 Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) survey showing that only 2% of Filipino adults were able to correctly answer six basic financial literacy questions, underscoring the need for clearer financial education. Within the app, Pera Coach responds to user prompts about goals, budgets, and risk appetite, and explains options such as savings, simple investments, and other financial products in more practical terms.
“Financial literacy should not feel intimidating or out of reach,” said Winsley Bangit, Group Head of New Business at Mynt, the parent company of GCash. He said that by integrating Pera Coach directly into the GCash ecosystem, users can receive real-time guidance that is practical and easy to understand, including everyday decisions such as setting aside a weekly budget, comparing savings accounts, or considering a potential stock to invest in. Bangit added that GCash’s broader strategy is to use new technologies like AI to solve real financial challenges, especially for underserved sectors.
Microsoft Philippines also highlighted the role of AI in improving financial understanding. Country General Manager Jonathan Que noted that while millions of Filipinos already use mobile financial platforms, only about one in four is considered financially literate, creating what he described as an “empowerment gap” between access and understanding. He said the collaboration aims to put a personal AI financial coach in the hands of different types of users, from sari-sari store owners to families of overseas Filipino workers, and to turn routine transactions into learning moments that can help them save and invest more confidently.
To access Pera Coach, GCash users can open the app, go to the Invest section, and tap the Pera Coach banner to start asking questions and receiving guidance. More details about the feature are available in the GCash Help Center.
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