What Cebu CFI Community Cooperative does

Cebu CFI Community Cooperative (CFI) is a member-owned financial cooperative founded in April 1970 in Cebu City, Philippines, originally organized to free court employees from usurious lending practices charging 10–20% monthly interest. Today CFI operates as a multi-billion cooperative with approximately 170,000 members and 30 branches and satellite offices across the Philippines, serving government employees, court personnel, private sector workers, pensioners, and micro-entrepreneurs. The cooperative is registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and governed by an annually elected Board of Directors with democratic one-member-one-vote rights.

CFI's core product set spans lending (salary loans, bonus loans, pension loans, PAL Personal Advantage Loans at 12% flat rate, commercial loans, microfinance loans, housing loans, the Credit Cash Wallet revolving credit line, and the MicroCredit E-wallet), deposit-taking (share capital with 8% interest, time deposits at 4%, savings at 2%), and a health insurance product (Mutual Medical Assistance Fund or MMAF) providing up to P100,000 in medical coverage and P50,000 in life insurance. The technology backbone includes CFI Online for member self-service, the CFI Wallet mobile app with virtual card capabilities, a CFI Virtual Health Card (notable as a first in the cooperative sector), and an Electronic Election System for board governance. Distribution is multi-channel: 13 main branch offices plus satellite offices, a help desk with 72-hour SLA, a call center, and employer Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) — notably with the Department of Education — that enable automated salary deduction for loan repayments.

CFI's revenue mechanics rest on net interest margin from lending, recurring membership dues (P1,500 annually), MMAF health plan contributions (P7,000–13,000 annually depending on age), and incidental franchise financing fees. Surplus is redistributed to members through dividends and an 8% patronage refund on interest paid. The cooperative has diversified beyond core financial services into real estate (Esperanza Tower vertical housing project), hospitality (CFI Cooptel hotels operated by Archipelago International), and franchise financing (Five Star Manok in partnership with Charoen Pokphand Foods). Key leadership includes Chairman Atty. Winston F. Garcia (former GSIS President) and EVP/COO Farla Carolyn F. Garcia, with the cooperative operating approximately 300 employees across the central office and branch network.

Name

Cebu CFI Community Cooperative

Legal name

Cebu CFI Community Cooperative

Website

https://cficoop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cebu CFI Community Cooperative is a Philippine member-owned financial cooperative founded in 1970, serving 170,000 members across 30 branches with loans, deposits, health insurance, and digital banking services primarily for government employees, court staff, and private sector workers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Banking

NAICS

Credit Unions (522130), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)

SIC

Savings Institutions, Not Federally Chartered (6036), Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Cooperative Banks (Member-Owned Commercial/Retail) (FSABAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus) (FSABAEAA), Federations/Centrals & Cooperative Banking Networks (2nd-Tier Co-ops) (FSABAEAL)

Keywords

• Cooperative banking
• Member lending services
• Microfinance loans
• Deposit products
• Health insurance plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Cebu City

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest Income: CFI provides various loan products including salary loans, bonus loans, pension loans, deposit loans, commercial loans, micro-finance loans, housing loans, and special credit facilities. Interest income from lending operations is the primary revenue stream.
2. Share Capital and Deposits: Members contribute equity in the form of share capital (minimum P2,000) and money placements as savings and time deposits. These funds enable lending operations.
3. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues of P1,500 collected from members for ongoing access to cooperative services.
4. Mutual Medical Assistance Fund (MMAF): Health plan contributions of P7,000 annually (under 60), P10,000 (60-69), P13,000 (69+) provide medical and hospital coverage up to P100,000 per year plus P50,000 life insurance.
5. Dividends and Patronage Refunds: Capital surplus from operations returned to members in the form of dividends, patronage refunds (8% of interest paid), and interests on deposits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cebu CFI Community Cooperative is a member-owned financial services cooperative providing savings, time deposits, share capital, and a range of loan products (regular, pension, microcredit, cooperative) to government employees, private sector workers, pensioners, and micro-entrepreneurs in Cebu and surrounding provinces. The cooperative also distributes health care plans and insurance products, and operates digital banking channels (CFI Online and CFI Wallet) to support member transactions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mutual Medical Assistance Fund (MMAF): Health fund program that provides members coverage of up to P100,000 in medical and hospital expenses annually
• CFI Online
• CFI Wallet
• Esperanza Tower
• CFI Cooptel
• Five Star Manok Franchise

Products and services

• Regular Loan
• Pension Loan (Pangkabuhayan Loan for Pensioners)
• Regular Microcredit Loan
• Cooptel Loan
• Savings and Time Deposits
• Share Capital
• Caresurance Health Plan
• Alagang CFI Health Card
• Members Mutual Assurance Fund (MMAF)
• CFI Online (Internet Banking)
• CFI Wallet / Credit Cash Wallet

Quantifiable outcome

• 8% interest on share capital, 4% on time deposits, 2% on savings deposits
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Archipelago InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2024CFI signed contract with Archipelago International as the hotel operator for CFI Cooptel projects including properties in Carreta and Taft Manila. Archipelago International is a major hospitality management company operating multiple hotel brands across Asia.
• Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) / Five Star ManokminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Foods, owner of Five Star Manok franchise, partnered with CFI to bring the chicken franchise to Central Visayas. CFI offers franchise financing to members through the Pangkabuhayan Program.
• Cooperative Bank of CebuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFI board member Atty. Lito Astillero serves as Chairman of Cooperative Bank of Cebu, creating a strategic relationship between the two cooperative financial institutions for industry collaboration.
• Lyceum of CebuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFI board members serve on the Board of Trustees of Lyceum of Cebu. CFI inaugurated a new two-storey school building at the Lyceum of Cebu - Andres Abellana Campus in commemoration of the 100th birthday of late CFI Chairman Pablo 'Pabling' P. Garcia.
• PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation)minorOthersCFI conducts orientations with PhilHealth for members regarding health coverage and benefits. Collaboration supports member health awareness and MMAF health plan education.
• Department of Education (DepEd)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCFI has a National payroll deduction agreement with DepEd enabling salary deduction for loan repayments. CFI offers specialized Salary APDS DepEd loans for DepEd employees.
• Accredited Hospitals and Diagnostic CentersminorOthersCFI has partnerships with approximately 50 hospitals and diagnostic centers for MMAF health coverage including Cebu Doctors' University Hospital, Perpetual Succour Hospital, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, and Hi-Precision Diagnostics.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cooperative Bank of Cebu: Cebu-based cooperative bank where CFI Vice Chairman also serves as Chairman. Direct peer operating a similar member-owned cooperative model in the same geography, providing loans, deposits, and related services to members in Cebu.
• Cantilan Bank: Philippine cooperative bank serving Surigao del Sur and surrounding provinces. Direct peer providing savings, loans, and financial services under a member-owned cooperative structure comparable to CFI.
• 1st Valley Bank: Philippine cooperative bank based in Cagayan de Oro with branch network in Mindanao. Direct peer offering deposit and lending products to members under the cooperative-banking model that overlaps with CFI's positioning.
• CARD Bank: Microfinance-oriented rural bank under the CARD MRI group serving Filipino micro-entrepreneurs. Direct peer in member-based financial services, with overlap on microfinance loans and small-depositor products targeted at unbanked segments.
• Negros Cooperative Bank: Cooperative bank operating in the Visayas region with a similar member-owned model. Direct peer in CFI's core Visayan geography, offering deposit and loan products to members of cooperatives and employees.

Broad incumbents

• Land Bank of the Philippines: State-run universal bank serving as CFI's key financial partner and providing cooperative-sector awards. Broad incumbent with extensive branch and digital network, providing deposit, lending, and treasury services that overlap with CFI's offerings but at much larger scale.
• Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC): Universal bank in the Philippines with consumer and SME lending, payroll accounts, and digital banking. Broad incumbent with comparable salary-loan and deposit products targeting government and corporate employees.
• Philippine National Bank (PNB): Major Philippine universal bank with government-payroll accounts and extensive branch network. Broad incumbent competing for the same government-employee deposit and salary-loan business that anchors CFI's member base.

Emerging players

• Maya Bank: Digital bank in the Philippines offering deposits, payments, and consumer credit through a mobile-first platform. Emerging competitor targeting the same salaried employee base with lower-cost digital distribution and credit products.
• GCash: Leading Philippine e-wallet operated by Mynt with lending, savings, and payments products. Emerging competitor whose user base overlaps with CFI's members and offers a low-cost alternative for short-term credit and digital transactions.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CebuCFICoopPH
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cebucficoop
• Facebookfacebook.com/CFICoopOfficialPage
• Instagraminstagram.com/cebucficoop.ph

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Cebu CFI Community Cooperative