INDONESIAN online payment firm PT UniPin Online Game Voucher (UniPin) is banking on millions of “unbanked” Filipino young gamers as it ventures and seeks to secure its footing in the Philippine online gaming and eSports industry.
UniPin CEO Ashadi Ang told the BusinessMirror they see a lucrative market among Filipino online gamers and eSports players who do not have a bank account to purchase and access online payment schemes.
“This is our specialty. We know how to get the nonbank users. So, we are targeting the unbanked people. We are a payment service provider that offers hassle-free [process] for the users to top up in [their] games,” Ang said in an interview on the sidelines on the debut of UniPin in the Philippines on May 15.
Citing data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Ang noted that out of more than 100 million Filipinos, only about 14 percent to 16 percent have a bank account.
This, he said, “positions the Philippines to be the ideal platform to launch UniPin due to many similarities in terms of market trends and gamers’ characteristics between the Philippines and Indonesia.”
“We have started this in Indonesia when only about 20 percent to 24 percent were bankable people,” he said. “And so, we specialize on that on tapping those who do not have bank accounts.”
Priorities
ANG said they are also prioritizing in getting the millennial market as most Filipino online gamers belong to this age group.
“We are targeting the young people, the [local] millennial gamers, just like in Indonesia,” he said.
“In Indonesia, only those in big cities have bank accounts, but those in small regions, small cities and rural areas are having a difficulty accessing the banks,” he added.
The UniPin official said they chose the Philippines as their first Southeast Asian market venture as they see its local eSports industry to be “very mature.”
Furthermore, Ang noted that there has been an observable increase in the purchasing power of Filipinos, particularly those who are into gaming and eSports, as they can afford now to play in high-end gaming cafés.
Ang said the Philippines and Indonesia also share similar trends in gaming, with mobile games making a “boom” recently.
“I can see that markets for smartphone mobile games are now booming compared in the last two years. In Indonesia [it was] only [in the] last two years that we saw significant increment in terms of users,” he explained.
“And we can see the similarities here in the Philippines. Mobile games is easier because it is convenient but provides a different gaming environment compared to PC,” Ang added.
With this “booming” mobile game market, he said they would partner with local telecommunications companies to “enable smartphone users to top up” money through UniPin.
UniPin provides an online platform that allows gamers to purchase in-game items or currencies to enhance their gameplay across thousands of gaming titles.
Ang said it took almost one year before UniPin debuted in the Philippine market.
Ang is confident that they would be a market leader in just two years, securing a spot among the top five online payment providers locally.
“I am very positive with the market a lot of things we can do there. A lot of things we can bring here from Indonesia and a lot of things we could copy from the Philippines,” he said.
In fact, Ang said he doesn’t even consider Globe and Smart as their competitors despite the two companies providing alternative and cheaper online payment methods for Filipino gamers.
“We are partnering with them. We do not treat them as competitors because we need them, as well as we are just first-comers here,” he explained.
Ang said they are also partnering with 7-Eleven, Dragon Pay, TNC Philippine Holdings Inc., SM Supermarket, Bayad Center, Axiapedia, BPI and other payment channels for the distribution of UniPin.
The UniPin CEO said one of their market advantages is their reward points system that incentivizes users that top up through the UniPin payment platform.
The accumulated points, Ang explained, could be exchanged for additional in-game items or even gaming paraphernalia.
“[We also conduct] promos on and off which allow users to purchase at better prices. For example, you can get a bonus of 10 percent and we also give not in terms of UniPin credits but in-game items as well,” he said.
Ang said they have created a dedicated team that would study and analyze gaming trends in the local market so that they could tailor their promotions to the needs of Filipino gamers accordingly.
“We have a team who really plays the game and who really understands what our gamers need,” he said.
“So, normally we know what the gamers are looking for. If this game item is hot or in demand then we will partner with the game developer and see how we can proceed in doing bonuses or promotions,” he added.
Tournaments
ANG said the company would also venture into eSports to market and promote UniPin in the local gaming industry by organizing gaming tournaments starting this June.
He added that the winners of those tournaments would fly to Jakarta to compete against their Indonesian counterparts.
Ang disclosed that the tournament would only include “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang,” a game played on a mobile platform.
“A vision, a dream to merge the gamers’ experiences in Southeast Asian countries, even though it sounds impossible, but with our experiences, commitments and high dedication, we are optimistic to make our dream come true,” he said.
“A big dream starts with a leap of faith and the courage to act, and we start this leap with the Philippines. We foresee that UniPin will merge and connect both the Philippine gamers’ experiences with the Indonesian gamer-community and together bring forth the gamers’ community in both countries to a higher level,” he added.
At present, UniPin is a partner of more than 300 game publishers worldwide and has a total of 10,000 game titles, according to documents provided by the company.