Dr. Angelito B. Fernando; Korina Castro-Fernando, Chief Human Resources Officer; Bobby L. Castro, Chairman and Founder; Lilian Castro-Selda, Chief Financial Officer; Lisa Castro-Sabado, Chief Business Development Officer; and Karlo M. Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer, with brand ambassador Marian Rivera at the launch of the “Palawan for All” campaign.
For generations of Filipinos, the name Palawan has been closely associated with pawning jewelry and sending money to loved ones. Now, after 41 years in business, the homegrown financial services company is making a bigger play — positioning itself as a financial partner that can follow customers through nearly every stage of life.
The Palawan Group of Companies has unveiled “Palawan for All,” a new campaign that brings its growing portfolio of financial services under one umbrella as it pushes deeper into digital payments, insurance, credit, business services and wealth-building solutions.
The move reflects a broader shift in how Filipinos handle money. A young worker may need an easy way to manage a first paycheck, an overseas breadwinner may regularly send support home, an entrepreneur may need capital to expand, while parents may be looking for ways to protect their families and prepare for the future.
Palawan wants to be relevant across all those financial moments.
“Today, millions of Filipinos entrust us with their hard-earned money because we have remained true to our promise of providing affordable, reliable, and accessible services,” said Bobby L. Castro, Chairman and Founder of the Palawan Group of Companies.
“More than our growth, what makes me proud is knowing that generations of Filipinos continue to see Palawan as a partner they can trust,” he added.
Bobby L. Castro, Chairman and Founder of the Palawan Group of Companies, reflects on more than four decades of serving Filipino families and building a relationship of trust that continues to this day.
Betting on branches and smartphones
While financial technology companies have increasingly pushed transactions online, Palawan is taking a different route by combining digital convenience with its massive physical footprint.
The company calls the strategy “BrickTech.”
Palawan currently operates more than 3,800 branches nationwide, giving customers access to face-to-face services even in communities where traditional banking options may be limited.
At the same time, its PalawanPay e-wallet has grown to more than 23 million users, allowing customers to perform transactions through their mobile phones.
Through the app, users can send money, settle bills, make QR Ph payments, renew pawn transactions and access other financial services without visiting a branch.
The combination gives customers the option to move between physical and digital channels depending on what is more convenient for them — an approach that could prove important in a market where digital adoption is rising but cash and over-the-counter transactions remain deeply embedded in everyday life.
“As our customers’ needs have changed, Palawan has continued to evolve with them,” said Karlo M. Castro, President and CEO of the Palawan Group of Companies.
“Today, we bring together different brands and services that can support Filipinos in different ways, from sending and receiving money to accessing credit, protecting their families, managing a business, and planning for the future,” Castro said.
The goal, he added, is to make these services “more understandable, convenient, and relevant to the everyday lives of Filipinos.”
Moving beyond remittances and pawning
Palawan’s expansion is perhaps most visible in the growing number of financial products now sitting alongside its traditional pawnshop and remittance operations.
Palawan ProtekTODO offers microinsurance designed to make financial protection more affordable, while Palawan Gold and Palawan Pawnshop Jewelry provide customers with options for acquiring assets and preserving wealth.
For entrepreneurs, Palawan for Business expands the company’s services into business transactions and financial solutions, while Palawan Credit targets customers who need access to financing as they pursue personal or economic goals.
Taken together, the portfolio shows how Palawan is attempting to evolve from a transaction-focused company into a broader financial services ecosystem.
Instead of serving customers only when they need to pawn an item or send money, the company wants to remain part of their financial lives as their income, families, businesses and priorities change.
Marian Rivera returns as face of the brand
The launch of Palawan for All also marked the second year of actress Marian Rivera as the company’s brand ambassador.
Rivera said Palawan’s transformation mirrors the way financial habits among Filipino families have evolved.
“What I appreciate most is that Palawan has grown alongside Filipino families. I’ve seen how the brand has evolved as our lives and financial needs have changed,” Rivera said.
She pointed to the shift from branch-based remittances toward mobile transactions through PalawanPay, where customers can now send money, make payments, renew pawn transactions and handle other everyday financial needs.
Her continued partnership with the company centers on values Palawan says have defined the brand throughout its four-decade history — family, hard work, trust and care for customers.
A bigger ambition after 41 years
Behind Palawan for All is a straightforward business strategy: deepen the company’s relationship with an existing customer base by offering more services for more financial needs.
Rather than abandoning the physical network that built the company, Palawan is using those thousands of branches alongside its growing digital platform to reach customers wherever they prefer to transact.
Bernard V. Kaibigan, Chief Marketing Officer of the Palawan Group of Companies, said the campaign is designed around customers rather than individual products.
“Palawan for All brings these different services together under one promise: to be a financial partner for Filipinos through the different chapters of their lives,” Kaibigan said.
“It is a campaign about people, not products. Every Filipino has a different financial journey, but everyone deserves a partner they can rely on, whether they are starting their first job, supporting their family, growing a business, or planning for the future.”
After 41 years, Palawan’s next challenge is therefore bigger than simply opening more branches or attracting more e-wallet users.
It is trying to turn decades of familiarity and trust into something much broader — a financial ecosystem capable of serving Filipinos from their first paycheck to their first business, and eventually to the wealth and security they hope to build for the future.
For Palawan, that is the promise behind its next chapter: remaining Matatag, Maaasahan, at Mapagkakatiwalaan, while changing alongside the Filipinos it serves.