GoTyme Bank Adds In‑App Crypto Trading for 6.5M Philippine Users via Alpaca

Published: 2025-12-08 18:09:01 |

GoTyme Bank, one of the Philippines’ fastest‑growing digital banks with over 6.5 million customers, has launched in‑app crypto buying and custody via a partnership with US fintech Alpaca. The feature lets users convert PHP to USD inside the GoTyme app and buy and hold 11 cryptocurrencies — including BTC, ETH, SOL and DOT — without leaving the mobile wallet or using external exchanges. Users can open a GoTyme Crypto USD account from an existing GoTyme Everyday account in minutes. The interface is simplified for retail and first‑time buyers, offering basic market data and news rather than advanced trading tools. Alpaca supplies the regulated custody and trading infrastructure via API, handling the backend while keeping customers within GoTyme’s environment. The rollout leverages the Philippines’ high crypto adoption (Chainalysis ranks it ninth globally, ~10% penetration) and fits GoTyme’s regional expansion plans for Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Indonesia. For traders, this may increase local on‑ramp volume and retail demand for the listed tokens, while limiting direct access to advanced order types — a development to watch for flows into BTC, ETH, SOL and DOT from Philippine retail users.

Bullish

This integration is likely bullish for the referenced cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, SOL, DOT) on a localized basis because it lowers friction for Philippine retail users to enter the market. By offering an in‑app peso‑to‑USD conversion and custody, GoTyme creates a simple on‑ramp that can increase buy-side demand from a market with above‑average crypto penetration. In the short term, expect incremental volume and potential price support for the listed tokens as new retail flows materialize. In the medium to long term, sustained demand will depend on user adoption rates and transactional volumes; because the feature targets buy-and-hold retail users with simplified tools (no advanced orders or derivatives), it is more likely to create steady accumulation rather than heightened volatility from active trading. Caveats: impact is geographically concentrated (Philippines and potentially Southeast Asia as expansion occurs) and unlikely to move global markets alone. Regulatory changes or custody incidents would negate the positive effect.