AMID extreme poverty, Filipinos have sought refuge from online loan apps to make both ends meet, with borrowings mostly amounting to P5,468 per transaction.
In a data released by credit data platform LenderLink, total digital loan disbursements in the Philippines reached P867 billion as of the fourth quarter of 2025, across 619,000 unique borrowers.
According to mobile analytics firm Adjust, the trend reflects the digitalization of financial services in the Philippines, which institutionalized borrowing “a routine financial tool rather than an occasional source of emergency funding.”
“Mobile apps and online platforms are now central to the borrowing journey, with users often interacting across multiple touchpoints before completing an application,” it said.
“Borrowing is becoming a more regular financial activity for many Filipino consumers, which means lenders need to look beyond top-of-funnel metrics and focus on what happens after acquisition,” said Leo Vu, senior growth lead at Adjust.
Taking cue from LenderLink data, Adjust said 41 percent of the borrowers are Filipinos aged 25 to 34 years old. Twenty percent of the loan applicants are based in Metro Manila.
Interestingly, the data also showed that loans ranging from P5,000 to P10,000 bracket had the highest delinquency rate at 42 percent.