Few Filipino brands can claim a four-decade legacy built on trust, accessibility, and everyday relevance. In 2025, Palawan Group of Companies closed its 40th anniversary year on a historic high, earning an unprecedented number of international awards and reinforcing its mission to deliver affordable, inclusive, and meaningful financial services to millions of Filipinos nationwide.
Celebrating 40 Years of Serbisyo para sa Pilipino
For four decades, the Palawan Group has been a trusted financial partner to generations of sukis, providing services that are mura, mabilis, at walang kuskos balungos. Reflecting on the milestone, Karlo M. Castro, President and CEO of the Palawan Group, emphasized that the recognitions serve not as a finish line, but as motivation to continue improving services and expanding access.
As the company moves into 2026, it remains committed to strengthening its offerings and ensuring that every Filipino can access reliable and relevant financial solutions—staying true to its purpose-driven roots.
Palawan Pawnshop: A Trusted Lifeline for Everyday Filipinos
At the heart of the group’s legacy is Palawan Pawnshop, long regarded as a dependable lifeline for everyday needs. In 2025, it was recognized as Best Pawning Company at the 12th International Finance Awards, honoring its fair collateral valuation, low interest rates, and fast, hassle-free service.
Its digital innovations, including online pawn renewal and gold sales through PalawanPay, further earned a Bronze Stevie Award for Innovation in Digital Transformation in Financial Services—highlighting the brand’s ability to modernize while remaining deeply accessible.
Palawan Express Pera Padala: Expanding Financial Access Nationwide
Palawan Express Pera Padala continues to make sending money home safe, seamless, and affordable through its network of over 10,000 branches nationwide. Reaching even the country’s most remote communities, the service was recognized with a Silver Stevie Award for Innovation in the Use of Technology in Customer Service and named Most Innovative Remittance Company at the 12th International Finance Awards.
These recognitions affirm Palawan Express’s role in strengthening financial inclusion and connecting Filipino families wherever they may be.
PalawanPay: Driving Digital Finance for Millions
The group’s digital arm, PalawanPay, has transformed everyday transactions for more than 20 million users. Through a single app, sukis can pay bills, top up mobile load, renew pawn items, purchase jewelry, and access microinsurance services.
In 2025, PalawanPay was named Most Innovative E-Wallet at the 12th International Finance Awards and received multiple honors at the Marketing Technology Awards and YouTube Works Awards Southeast Asia—recognizing its effective use of marketing automation, omnichannel platforms, and data-driven engagement.
ProtekTODO: Accessible Protection for Filipino Families
ProtekTODO, the Palawan Group’s microinsurance arm, continues to provide affordable and easy-to-understand financial protection for everyday Filipinos. Recognized with a Bronze Stevie Award for Innovation in Brand Development, ProtekTODO offers accessible critical illness coverage that gives sukis peace of mind in times of uncertainty.
Palawan For Business: Empowering Communities Through Partnerships
Palawan For Business, the group’s B2B arm, was honored with a Silver Award for Most Innovative B2B Campaignat the NEXT Awards Asia-Pacific 2025. Through partnerships with government agencies, Palawan For Business helped transform select branches into micro-payout hubs and mobile payout caravans—delivering financial aid efficiently to underserved communities nationwide.
A Year of Global Recognition and Lasting Impact
Capping off its milestone year, the Palawan Group earned seven Stevie Awards, including two Gold Stevies for Excellence in Innovation in Financial Services and Innovation in Brand Development. Additional Silver awards recognized its achievements in cross-media marketing and customer service technology.
According to Bernard Kaibigan, Group Marketing Head, these accolades reflect the company’s enduring commitment to its sukis, particularly the unbanked and underbanked, and the collective dedication of its teams across the country.
Building on a Legacy as Palawan Looks to 2026
As Palawan Group of Companies enters its next chapter, 2025 stands as both a celebration of achievements and a foundation for future growth. Guided by its bricktech approach—pwede sa branch, pwede sa app—the company remains focused on innovation that serves people first, ensuring that sukis remain at the heart of everything it does.
