TBCASoft, the developer of the HIVEX® cross-border payment network, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), one of the Philippines' largest privately owned universal banks, and Novus Transact Philippines Corporation to explore cross-border QR payment opportunities between the Philippines and the HIVEX Network.

Under the agreement, the parties will evaluate enabling inbound person-to-merchant QR payments from HIVEX wallet partners at QR Ph merchants across the Philippines. QR Ph is the national QR payments standard launched by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in 2019, making QR payments interoperable across participating Philippine banks and electronic money issuers. The parties will also explore outbound payment capabilities that would allow RCBC wallet users to pay seamlessly at HIVEX acceptance markets overseas, including popular travel destinations such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China and other Southeast Asian countries.

The initiative would extend the Philippines into a broader regional push toward cross-border QR interoperability in Asia, where central banks and payment operators have progressively linked national systems such as Singapore's PayNow, Thailand's PromptPay, Malaysia's DuitNow and Indonesia's QRIS so that travelers can pay abroad directly from their domestic wallets. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has championed this agenda through its Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap, which promotes wider digital payment adoption and interoperability. In addition, the collaboration will assess the technical, operational, business and regulatory requirements needed to support implementation; no rollout timeline was announced. The objective is to enhance cross-border payment convenience for consumers while growing transactions for local merchants serving international travelers.

Commenting on the partnership, TBCASoft Founder and CEO Ling Wu said: "HIVEX is expanding rapidly across key global markets as the premier standard for cross-border payment interoperability. In an AI-driven era where data sovereignty and user privacy are non-negotiable, our network bridges domestic ecosystems without compromising national data boundaries. Partnering with forward-looking leaders like RCBC and Novus allows us to extend this secure, sovereign connectivity to the Philippines, making international payments as effortless as domestic ones."

Lito Villanueva, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer of RCBC, said: "RCBC is committed to bringing innovative and inclusive payment solutions to our customers. We look forward to working with TBCASoft and Novus to unlock more seamless cross-border QR payment experiences for Filipinos while supporting the continued growth of digital payments and international commerce."

Ricardos Khoury, Founder and CEO of Novus Technologies, said: "Novus doesn't just provide technology, we run it, around the clock, on the ground. It's how we already power RCBC's ATM Go for more than ten million Filipino families, most in rural communities. As the HIVEX gateway and customer support partner in the Philippines, we're proud to help build this corridor so a traveler can pay by QR in their own currency, with RCBC leading the way as the first to move."