From left to right: Visa Growth Product Director Maria Peralta; Visa Philippines Country Manager Jeffrey Navarro; USSC President and Chief Executive Officer Jose Xavier Gonzales; USSC Chief Marketing Officer J. Richard Soriano; DICT Undersecretary for Strategic Initiatives Leandro Aguirre; and DOT Assistant Secretary for Branding and Marketing Communications Armand Lorenze Valeria Sapitan, during the launch of U Accept, a smartphone-based payment solution designed to help Filipino MSMEs accept secure contactless digital payments.
Visa and USSC Money Services, Inc. (UMSI) have launched U Accept, a smartphone-based payment solution designed to help micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines accept contactless card payments without requiring a traditional point-of-sale terminal.
Powered by Visa Accept and integrated into UMSI’s uGrow digital platform, U Accept allows eligible smartphones to function as payment acceptance devices. MSMEs can activate the service through the app and accept contactless card payments and pay-by-link transactions without investing in additional proprietary hardware.
The launch addresses common barriers that prevent small businesses from adopting digital payments, including hardware costs, lengthy onboarding processes, and limited awareness of available payment technologies.
MSMEs account for more than 99% of businesses in the Philippines and generate 67% of total employment, making digital payment adoption an important part of the country’s broader financial inclusion and digitalization efforts.
Visa research cited by the companies found that 83% of Filipino small and medium business owners experienced increased turnover after accepting card payments, while 41% said customers spent more when using cards. Among businesses that do not currently accept cards, 67% said they would consider adopting a solution with appropriate support.
Beyond payment acceptance, U Accept enables merchants to send digital receipts via email and view transaction histories. These capabilities complement uGrow’s sales monitoring and inventory management tools, while near-real-time settlement is available through users’ U Visa Prepaid Cards.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas welcomed the launch, saying Visa Accept can help expand access to digital payment acceptance among Filipino MSMEs and support the country’s digital transformation and financial inclusion goals.
Visa and UMSI said the initiative builds on their broader partnership to modernize payment services in the Philippines. In 2025, the companies announced a strategic partnership involving Visa Direct to enhance outbound money movement and cross-border payment capabilities.
