GCash for Business: Empowering LGBTQIA+ Owned MSMEs

In honor of Pride Month, #GCash celebrated its collaborations with businesses owned by members of the LGBTQIA+ community. This is in line with its mission of promoting digital financial inclusion and economic growth for all Filipinos.

 

One such business is Michin Saja, a coffee shop managed by entrepreneur Alexis Carlos. Alexis has maintained Michin Saja, inherited from her mother, as a safe haven for the LGBTQIA+ community. This commitment to customer comfort and employee empowerment has led to the expansion of Michin Saja, which opened its second branch in Marikina in March, years after its inception in San Mateo, Rizal.

GCash for Business has been instrumental in the daily operations, expansion, and economic support of Michin Saja. Like many small businesses, the café had to overcome the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, including decreased sales and the need for a universally accessible cashless transaction system.

With the financial solutions provided by GCash for Business, including GLoan, the cash loan service operated by GCash’s official lending arm, Fuse, Michin Saja found the stability it needed to prosper. Alexis stated, “To overcome the pandemic’s challenges, we had to devise new strategies or products. My mother utilized GLoan for our product research, development, and marketing.”

During the height of stringent quarantine lockdowns, Michin Saja heavily relied on GCash payments. Alexis shared, “During the pandemic, one of the most common challenges was the need for contactless interactions with customers. Using GCash has made us more efficient in terms of delivery, benefiting not only us but also the customers, who have a variety of payment options for their orders.”

Michin Saja’s journey is a testament to GCash’s commitment to being a growth partner for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), whether through digital payments or loans.

“LGBTQIA+ businesses are recognized for their creativity, vibrancy, and warmth. Their flourishing is important because the communities around them flourish too,” said GCash Sustainability Head CJ Alegre. “We aim to support these businesses at every step, enabling them to freely access financial services and loans so they can thrive in this digital economy.”

GCash for Business offers offline payment options like Scan To Pay, WebPay, and Funds Disbursement to MSMEs. With the GCash QR, businesses can access secure QR transactions, digital wallets, and real-time payments to their suppliers, providing more payment options for their customers with GCredit and GGives. Merchants also enjoy no wallet limits with their GCash QR and real-time viewing of their transactions through the merchant portal.

GCash for Business also provides a wide range of loan services through Fuse, such as GCredit, GGives, GLoan, and GLoan Sakto. Users can borrow as little as PHP 100 to as much as PHP 125,000 to fund their business needs. These cash loans are easily accessible right on the GCash app, making borrowing a hassle-free experience.

Applications are evaluated based on past transactions on the app, not on credit history and collateral. This makes it easy for individuals and businesses to take out loans without facing discrimination. This feature counters the global trend where LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs are less likely to secure loans due to unconscious bias. Women, small business owners, sari-sari store owners, farmers, public market vendors, and underbanked Filipinos also use GLoan due to its easy, accessible, and non-discriminatory processes.

In addition to digital financial services, GCash for Business also launched The QueeR Market, a directory of LGBTQIA+ businesses. Each merchant listing includes a description of how it supports LGBTQIA+ employees and customers, as well as personal stories of the business owners. The QueeR Market website allows queer-owned businesses to sign up and be featured year-round, expanding their reach to potential customers, and register to access payment solutions.

“When you belong to the LGBTQIA+ community, it is essential to find businesses and organizations that welcome and celebrate you. To achieve that, LGBTQIA+ businesses and organizations need to be supported and empowered,” said Alegre. “GCash is committed to being the growth partner of these businesses, for the benefit of the broader LGBTQIA+ community and the country’s goal for financial inclusion.”

FAQs

1. What is GCash? GCash is the Philippines’ premier finance super app and the largest cashless ecosystem.

2. What is GCash for Business? GCash for Business is a service offered by GCash that provides financial solutions to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

3. What is GLoan? GLoan is a cash loan service operated by GCash’s official lending arm, Fuse, which allows users to borrow as little as PHP 100 to as much as PHP 125,000 to fund their business needs.

4. What is The QueeR Market? The QueeR Market is a directory of LGBTQIA+ businesses launched by GCash for Business. It allows queer-owned businesses to sign up and be featured year-round, expanding their reach to potential customers, and register to access payment solutions.