Fintech ramps up expansion in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Asia’s leading buy now, pay later brand Atome is ramping up its presence in the Philippines as it continues to partner with online and offline retailers amid the pandemic.

Atome has partnered with more than 100 retailers including Zalora, Agoda, Cole Haan, Aldo, Garmin, Anker, Giordano, Timex, Plains & Prints, Puma Select, Pretty Looks, New Era Caps, Watch Republic, Boozy and Timberland, across key shopping categories such as fashion, beauty, lifestyle and home and living since its launch in October.

It also recently signed a partnership with the Primer Group, with its brands such as TUMI, Rox, North Face, Bratpack, Columbia and The Travel Club soon accepting Atome as a buy now, pay later option for interest free payments across their online channels.

Last October, Standard Chartered also announced a 10-year strategic partnership with Atome Financial, the holding company that operates Atome and other digital lending brands. The partnership includes $500 million in financing to expand Atome Financial’s regional ecosystem of merchants and customers.

The leading buy now pay later platform in Asia recently tapped EJ dela Vega to lead its operations in the Philippines. Dela Vega has more than a decade of experience in tech startups, payment and telco operations, with a track record in building teams and scaling businesses, marketing and payments, both locally and internationally.

“I’m very excited to join Atome at this time and lead this exciting phase of growth in one of Atome’s newest markets. Atome can play a big role in powering the retail sector’s economic recovery as well as accelerating financial inclusion for the underbanked Filipino population,” Dela Vega said.

Atome chief executive officer David Chen said Dela Vega’s leadership experience and knowledge in scaling businesses would be invaluable as we scale the company’s Philippines operations and build on rapid growth across Asia.

“We’re very excited to introduce a digital-savvy generation of Filipino consumers to a better and smarter way to shop and pay and give them access and affordability to quality products and services,” Chen said.

To celebrate Atome’s launch in the Philippines, new users who download Atome’s mobile app would receive a P200 welcome voucher that can be used for their first purchase with a minimum spend amount of P500 across its online and offline merchant partners.