December 22, 2025 | 4:44pm
MANILA, Philippines — For years, Filipino freelancers have built global careers from home—designing, coding, editing and strategizing for clients halfway across the world. Yet one of the biggest pain points in this booming gig economy has remained painfully old-school: getting paid.
Cross-border transfers have typically meant navigating multiple platforms, waiting days for payments to clear, and losing a chunk of hard-earned income to fees and poor exchange rates.
Now, GCash is setting out to change that.
During its official launch last November 21, joined by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas, GCash introduced the GCash Virtual US Account, a feature designed to let Filipino freelancers receive direct US dollar payments from US-based clients—faster, more conveniently and at competitive FX rates.
Solving a long-standing problem for digital workers
The US Virtual Account in GCash is a virtual account powered by Meridian Payments US that can receive funds in US dollars. With it, eligible users can hold and manage USD payments directly from US companies, payroll platforms or accounts. With the received US dollars, these eligible users can withdraw the funds to PHP.
According to GCash executives, this new feature was built as a direct response to what freelancers themselves have been calling for.
As Paul Albano explained during the roundtable, “The US virtual account is a heed to the call of these digital workers to be able to go and facilitate them to receive their hard-earned US dollar into the GCash wallet directly—seamlessly—and at their own convenience convert it into Philippine peso and receive it into their GCash wallet instantly at very competitive forex rate.”
This eliminates multiple transfer layers, reduces processing time, and gives freelancers more control over their earnings.
For many digital workers, this has long been a concern.
According to freelancer Dana Krystelle Novales, at one point, she was getting 11% of her pay removed because of all the fees—transfer fees, exchange fees, transaction fees—combined.
“I really believe that with the virtual US account of GCash, it can really help in this issue because the lowering of the fees definitely makes working hard worth it, because you know that you’re getting all the value back from all of your work,“ she said.
Supporting a globally competitive gig economy
Today, more than 1.6 million Filipinos are part of the digital freelance workforce. As the country positions itself as a global hub for remote and digital work, the role of financial technology becomes critical as an enabler of opportunity.
During the discussion, Albano emphasized that empowering freelancers goes beyond receiving payments.
Access to social protections has long been an unresolved challenge in the sector.
“One of the tasks of the freelancer community a while ago was on policies and legislation to be able to go and facilitate their benefits—from social security, from health care, even from a Pag-IBIG standpoint,” he shared.
“So, we’ll continuously work with the DICT to make sure we are able to extend benefits that regular employees are able to enjoy to freelancers as well.”
Moreover, GCash envisions the Virtual US Account working seamlessly within its existing ecosystem of services. After receiving their dollars, users can immediately put their earnings to work—whether by moving funds to GSave, paying bills, purchasing essentials or accessing the wide range of financial tools already available on the app.
This integration ensures that freelancers don’t just receive payments faster; they can manage, grow and maximize their income all in one place, without needing multiple platforms or extra steps.
A step toward real financial inclusion
The Virtual US Account reflects a broader shift in how fintech can support Filipino workers’ growth, especially as the country pushes to expand borderless work and strengthen its global digital workforce.
With real-time payments, secure transactions and easier currency conversion all within one app, freelancers can eliminate the friction that once held them back from scaling their work or taking on more global clients.
And with Gcash’s collaboration with relevant government institutions like the DICT, the initiative aligns with national goals to expand digital livelihoods, promote technology adoption and ensure that every Filipino—wherever they’re based—can participate meaningfully in the global digital marketplace.
With the digital workforce on the rise, innovations such as the Virtual US Account help create more pathways for Filipinos to build sustainable careers in a global marketplace where opportunities cross borders freely.
Editor’s Note: This #BrandSpace story is created with GCash. It is published by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.
