# Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI)

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/bpi-philippines
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [BPI — official](https://www.bpi.com.ph/)

## Overview

**BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands)** is **Philippines' oldest bank (1851 founding)** + **Ayala Corporation-controlled major commercial bank** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Philippines report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/PH)</sup>. **September 2025 BPI mobile banking app baseline**:
- **Registered users**: **8.75 million** (+15.6% YoY)
- **A third of new users entirely new to BPI** — onboarding digitally
- **Financial transactions**: **+22% YoY**
- **QR payments**: **+40% YoY**

**Distinctive BPI VYBE digital wallet** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: **~2.3 million users** (target end-2025: 2.5M; target end-2026: ~5M).

**Strategic shift**: BPI repositioning mobile platform from **transactional interface → core customer engagement + operating channel** <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

## History

**1851 — BPI founded as El Banco Español-Filipino de Isabel 2** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Philippines' oldest bank (Spanish-Philippine colonial origin).

**1969 — Ayala Corporation acquires BPI** — distinctive Ayala-controlled Filipino banking institution.

**2000s-2024 — Multi-product Filipino banking + digital banking acceleration** <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

**September 2025 — BPI mobile banking app 8.75M registered users (+15.6% YoY); 22% financial tx growth + 40% QR payments growth + VYBE ~2.3M users** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI; PSE: BPI)**.

**Parent**: **Ayala Corporation (PSE: AC)** — Philippines' Ayala family-controlled conglomerate (major Philippine business institution; Ayala family + Roberto Zobel de Ayala leadership).

**Regulators**: **BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas)**.

## Technical integration

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | BPI mobile banking app (iOS + Android) + BPI cards + BPI branch network + VYBE digital wallet |
| **Identifiers** | Phone + email + card number + Philippine ID |
| **PH rails** | **[InstaPay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/instapay) + [QR Ph](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/qr-ph)** (BSP national instant payment + national QR) |
| **License** | Bank (BPI full Philippine banking license) |
| **Sub-products** | BPI Account + BPI Cards + BPI Credit + BPI Investments + BPI Insurance + BPI for Business + VYBE digital wallet |
| **VYBE growth trajectory** | ~2.3M users → 2.5M end-2025 target → ~5M end-2026 target |
| **Strategic shift**: Transactional interface → core customer engagement + operating channel |

## Users & growth

**September 2025 baseline** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>:
- **BPI mobile banking app registered users**: 8.75 million (+15.6% YoY)
- **Third of new users entirely new to BPI** (onboarded digitally)
- **Financial transactions growth**: +22% YoY
- **QR payments growth**: +40% YoY
- **VYBE digital wallet users**: ~2.3 million (2.5M end-2025 target; ~5M end-2026 target)

## Use cases

Filipino retail banking via BPI mobile app + VYBE digital wallet (sister product); BPI Account + Cards + Credit + Investments + Insurance + BPI for Business; PH InstaPay + QR PH national instant payment; digital onboarding for entirely-new-to-BPI customers (1/3 of new app users).

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI; PSE: BPI)**.

**Parent**: **Ayala Corporation (PSE: AC)** — Philippines' Ayala family + Roberto Zobel de Ayala leadership.

**Major Philippine banking competitors**:
- **BDO Unibank** (Philippines' largest bank by assets; SM Group ecosystem-backed)
- **Metrobank** (Philippines' Big-3 bank; Ty family)
- **Land Bank of the Philippines + Development Bank of the Philippines** (state-owned)
- **UnionBank of the Philippines (UnionBank + UnionDigital)** (Aboitiz-led; SEC: UBP)
- **[GCash](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/gcash)** + **[Maya / PayMaya](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/maya)** + **[Tonik Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/tonik)** + **[BillEase](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/billease)** + GoTyme (PH wallets + digital banks)

**Regulator**: **BSP**.

## Fun facts

- **Philippines' oldest bank** (1851 founding as El Banco Español-Filipino de Isabel 2; Spanish-Philippine colonial origin).
- **Ayala Corporation-controlled** (1969 acquisition + ongoing Ayala family stewardship).
- **Sep 2025 BPI mobile banking app 8.75M registered users (+15.6% YoY)** + a third of new users entirely new to BPI (digital onboarding).
- **Sep 2025 financial transactions growth +22% YoY + QR payments growth +40% YoY**.
- **VYBE digital wallet ~2.3M users** with **2.5M end-2025 target + ~5M end-2026 target**.
- **Strategic shift**: Transactional interface → core customer engagement + operating channel.

## Comparison

| Feature | BPI Mobile + VYBE | BDO Unibank (PH largest bank by assets rival) | Metrobank (PH Big-3 bank rival) | UnionBank + UnionDigital (Aboitiz-led PH rival) | [GCash](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/gcash) (PH mobile wallet leader rival) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI; PSE: BPI; Ayala Corporation PSE: AC parent; Ayala family controlled)** | BDO Unibank (Philippines' largest bank by assets; SM Group ecosystem-backed) | Metrobank (Ty family) | UnionBank of the Philippines (SEC: UBP; Aboitiz-led) | GCash (Globe + Ant Group + 667 Partners) |
| Type | **PH oldest bank (1851) + BPI mobile + VYBE digital wallet sister product** | PH largest bank by assets + SM Group ecosystem-backed | PH Big-3 bank | PH Aboitiz-led + UnionDigital BSP-licensed digital bank | PH mobile wallet leader |
| Country | Philippines | Philippines | Philippines | Philippines | Philippines |
| Users | **BPI mobile 8.75M registered (+15.6% YoY); VYBE ~2.3M (end-2025 target 2.5M; end-2026 target ~5M)** | PH largest bank by assets | Major PH | Major PH + UnionDigital BSP-licensed | 81M+ users |
| Distinctive | **PH oldest bank 1851 founding; Ayala Corporation-controlled (1969 acquisition); Sep 2025 BPI mobile +15.6% YoY + financial tx +22% + QR +40% YoY; VYBE 2.5M end-2025 target / ~5M end-2026 target; strategic shift transactional → engagement** | PH largest by assets; SM Group (Sy family) ecosystem-backed; record P87.2B net income; lead in assets + loans + deposits | Metrobank Ty family | UnionDigital BSP digital bank license; Aboitiz-led | 81M+ users; GoTyme Bank sister; Globe + Ant Group + 667 Partners |

## Status

**Active, Philippines' oldest bank + Ayala-controlled major commercial bank** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>:
- **Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI; PSE: BPI)** since 1851 (PH oldest bank).
- **Ayala Corporation (PSE: AC) parent** (1969 acquisition + ongoing Ayala family stewardship).
- **Sep 2025**: BPI mobile 8.75M registered users (+15.6% YoY) + financial tx +22% + QR +40% YoY.
- **VYBE digital wallet ~2.3M users** with 2.5M end-2025 + ~5M end-2026 targets.
- **BSP regulated**.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.theasianbanker.com/updates-and-articles/bpi-shifts-to-engagement-led-mobile-banking-model-as-digital-adoption-accelerates "BPI shifts to engagement-led mobile banking model 2025 — Asian Banker"
[2]: https://www.bpi.com.ph/personal/bank/digital-banking/mobile "Mobile Banking — BPI official"
[3]: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1262722 "BPI eyes 5M VYBE users by 2026 — Philippine News Agency"
[4]: https://apps.apple.com/ph/app/bpi/id6443950982 "BPI app — App Store"
[ph-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/PH

- [1] [BPI shifts to engagement-led mobile banking 2025 — Asian Banker][1]
- [2] [Mobile Banking — BPI official][2]
- [3] [BPI VYBE 5M users by 2026 target — Philippine News Agency][3]
- [4] [BPI app — App Store][4]
- <sup>[Philippines report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/PH)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/PH-philippines.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [bpi-philippines.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/bpi-philippines). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.