What Cashalo does

Cashalo is a Philippine fintech operating as Paloo Financing, Inc. (PFI), providing digital credit to unbanked and underserved Filipino consumers and microentrepreneurs. Founded in 2018 as a joint venture between JG Summit Holdings (through Express Holdings Inc.) and Hong Kong-based Oriente with an initial P10 billion (~US$200 million) capital commitment, the company has since been acquired by US-based Empower Finance, Inc., which rebranded to Tilt in August 2025. As of June 2025, Cashalo had granted nearly 5 million cumulative loans and operates within an SEC-regulated framework (Certificate of Authority No. 1162, SEC Registration No. CS201800209).

The company's core products include cash loans (Cashaloan, CashaQuick, Cash Loan), O2O basket financing (Cashacart) for purchases of PHP 2,000-19,999 at partner retailers, "Pay with Cashalo" digital credit payments including Fly Now Pay Later for Cebu Pacific flights, nano-loans as small as PHP 200, and the CashAcademy financial literacy program. Underlying credit decisions are driven by an AI and machine learning underwriting engine that ingests traditional and non-traditional data sources—social media, e-commerce, telecommunications records, and behavioral signals—to score credit-invisible borrowers, enabling 10-minute approval and 30-minute disbursement for select products.

Cashalo's revenue model is transaction-based: it earns interest on digital loans (rates historically reported at 3.95% per month plus a 4% processing fee on PHP 2,000-5,000 loans) and processing fees on basket financing transactions through partner merchants. Distribution is product-led via a standalone iOS/Android app supplemented by a merchant network of 100+ partners across 500+ retail locations (National Book Store, Robinsons, Cherry Mobile, Cebu Pacific, Lazada, Vivo PH), with institutional capital sourced via a US$75 million loan facility from Community Investment Management secured in June 2025.

Name

Cashalo

Legal name

Paloo Financing, Inc. (PFI)

Website

https://cashalo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Cashalo is a Philippine fintech providing AI-driven digital credit, basket financing, and Pay Later solutions to unbanked and underserved Filipinos via a mobile app and a 100+ merchant partner network, operating as a Tilt venture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Consumer Lending

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Cash Advance (Online & Storefront) (FSAKAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Credit Score Monitoring & Credit Building (FSAGADAE)

Keywords

• Digital lending platform
• Consumer credit services
• Alternative credit scoring
• Mobile lending app
• Financial inclusion

Headquarters

HQ city

Taguig

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest Income: Revenue generated from interest charges on digital loans extended to borrowers. For loans of P2,000 to P5,000, rates were reported at 3.95% per month plus 4% processing fee.
2. Processing Fees: Fees charged for loan processing and origination.
3. Digital Credit Line Revenue: Revenue from Pay with Cashalo and Cashacart products enabling consumers to make purchases through digital credit lines at partner merchants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cashalo is a mobile-first digital lending platform that provides fast, affordable, and SEC-regulated consumer credit to unbanked and underserved Filipinos. It offers cash loans, O2O basket financing, nano-loans, and digital credit payment solutions, using AI, machine learning, and alternative data sources to score credit-invisible borrowers who lack traditional credit histories.

Product overview

Cashalo is a fintech platform delivering digital credit to Filipinos through a multi-product portfolio. The core offering consists of mobile-based lending products: Cash Loan (primary cash loans), Cashaloan, CashaQuick, and Cashacart (O2O basket financing for PHP 2,000-19,999). These are complemented by Pay with Cashalo (digital credit payment solution enabling Shop Now and Pay Later at partner merchants), Pre-approved Digital Credit (advance credit visibility), and Nano-Lending (micro-loans from PHP 200 at zero interest). CashAcademy provides financial literacy education as a complementary service. The platform uses AI/ML for credit scoring and processes applications within minutes. Cashalo is operated by Paloo Financing, Inc. and acquired by Empower Finance (now Tilt) in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CashAcademy: National financial literacy program with eight learning modules covering budgeting, money management, and credit concepts, with training for microentrepreneurs.
• Cashaloan
• CashaQuick
• Cashacart
• Pay with Cashalo

Products and services

• Cash Loan (Cashaloan / CashaQuick) Primary digital cash loan products providing fast access to credit for Filipinos who are underserved by traditional lenders. Approved loans are disbursed directly to borrower bank or e-wallet accounts.
• Cashacart O2O basket financing solution that lets consumers borrow PHP 2,000 to PHP 19,999 to purchase items from Cashalo's retail partners. Piloted at Robinsons Malls and now available across 100+ partner brands and 500+ retail locations.
• Pay with Cashalo Digital-credit payment solution enabling Shop Now and Pay Later functionality at partner merchants, including Cebu Pacific for domestic flight bookings up to PHP 7,000 and National Book Store for in-store purchases.
• Nano-Lending Micro-loan product offering loans as small as PHP 200 at zero interest as a financial inclusion pilot designed to help users build a financial identity for future borrowing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 5 million loans granted to Filipinos as of June 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration18 records

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and standard.

• National Book Store (NBS)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Philippine retail chain partnership allowing shoppers to 'Shop Now and Pay Later' through Pay with Cashalo. National Book Store joined Cashalo's expanding network of over 100 partners across over 500 retail locations. The Cashalo experience at NBS locations is designed to be secure, convenient and fast.
• Cebu PacificmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBudget airline partnership for 'Fly Now, Pay Later' program launched in August 2019. Allows passengers to book domestic flights worth PHP 7,000 and below on the Cebu Pacific website through the Cashalo platform. First major travel sector partnership for Cashalo.
• Robinsons Malls / Robinsons Appliances / Robinsons Department StoresmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPilot testing location for Cashacart basket financing solution. JG Summit-owned malls served as initial deployment location for the O2O consumer financing product, allowing shoppers to choose items in physical stores and pay for up to PHP 10,000 using the Cashalo app.
• Cherry MobilestandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPhilippine mobile phone manufacturer partnership as part of Cashalo's expanding merchant network. Enables consumers to purchase gadgets through Cashalo's digital credit solutions.
• Vivo PHstandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMobile phone manufacturer partnership to accelerate financial inclusion for Filipinos through device financing options.
• GetGo (Cebu Pacific Lifestyle Rewards)standardGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Cebu Pacific's lifestyle rewards program providing GetGo members with greater flexibility and opportunity while planning travel. Members can access Cashalo's financial services through the GetGo platform.
• GooglestandardGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Google for the 'Digiskarteng Pinay' initiative offering eight financial literacy modules to help women learn financial planning, management, and develop entrepreneurial skills.
• LazadastandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorE-commerce platform partnership mentioned in privacy policy as third-party service accessible through the Cashalo Facility. Enables users to access Lazada services and make purchases using Cashalo credit.

Scale indicators8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Atome Philippines: Atome is a Southeast Asian BNPL provider offering interest-free installment payments at partner merchants. Comparable to Cashalo's Pay with Cashalo/Cashacart basket financing product for e-commerce and retail purchases in the Philippines.
• Plentina: Plentina is a Philippine fintech offering Buy Now Pay Later solutions through partner merchants and online platforms. Comparable to Cashacart/Pay with Cashalo in the BNPL category with a similar underserved consumer focus.

Broad incumbents

• Home Credit Philippines: Home Credit is a major global consumer finance provider with a large Philippine operation offering installment loans for gadgets, appliances, and other goods. Comparable to Cashalo on consumer installment lending and merchant partnerships, but operates as an established incumbent with broader product set.
• UnionDigital Bank: UnionDigital Bank is the digital banking arm of UnionBank of the Philippines, offering consumer loans and embedded financial services via its mobile app. Competes with Cashalo on digital consumer credit for Filipinos, with the backing of an established incumbent bank.

Direct peers

• Tala: Tala is a global digital lender using alternative data and mobile underwriting to serve underbanked consumers in emerging markets including the Philippines. Directly comparable to Cashalo on mobile-first lending, AI-driven alternative credit scoring, and unbanked/underserved target segment.
• BillEase: BillEase is a Filipino fintech offering point-of-sale installment plans and personal loans, similar to Cashacart. Operates in the same Buy Now Pay Later space with major merchant partnerships and serves credit-underserved Filipinos.
• Maya Bank (formerly PayMaya): Maya Bank is a Philippine digital bank offering consumer loans, credit cards, and BNPL inside its wallet/super-app. Competes directly with Cashalo in mobile digital lending for Filipino consumers and has the backing of PLDT/Smart and Voyager.
• GCash (GCredit / GLoan): GCash is the Philippines' leading e-wallet, owned by Mynt (Globe Telecom/Ant Group), offering embedded digital credit products like GCredit and GLoan. Competes with Cashalo for the same unbanked Filipino borrowers via mobile-first lending integrated into a payments super-app.

Regional players

• Kredivo: Kredivo is an Indonesian digital lending platform offering instant credit financing and PayLater products for online and offline purchases. Comparable to Cashalo on alternative-data underwriting, digital credit lines, and BNPL functionality, but primarily focused on Indonesia.
• Akulaku: Akulaku is a Southeast Asian digital lending and BNPL platform headquartered in Indonesia, operating in the Philippines and other ASEAN markets. Comparable to Cashalo on mobile-first consumer credit, virtual credit cards, and BNPL for unbanked consumers, but with regional rather than purely Philippine focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cashaloph
• Facebookfacebook.com/CashaloPH
• LinkedInph.linkedin.com/company/cashalo
• Instagraminstagram.com/cashaloph

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cashalo