Why kiosks are the invisible infrastructure of digital finance

The phrase “digital finance” evokes images of sleek apps, trendy e-wallets, and contactless payments. But behind the sleek screens and instant transfers lies a critical, often overlooked foundation: the humble kiosk.

While it may seem unconventional, the arguments for kiosks make more sense when considering how cash-heavy Filipinos still are: according to a Global Payments Report by Wordpay, 44% of point-of-sale payments are made using cash.

eTap Solutions’ 4,000+ kiosks all over the Philippines earn millions of monthly active users, all of which use the machines to settle crucial financial transactions like topping up e-wallets, bill payments, and buying e-load.

With so many use cases for kiosks, here’s why they’re the invisible infrastructure of digital finance. 
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Kiosks are scalable

Traditional banking infrastructure is expensive and costly to maintain. It’s not just about ATMs, branches will also need to hire a slew of personnel from security guards to branch managers.

In contrast, kiosks can be deployed to high-value locations like groceries, pharmacies, and bakeshops. In the case of eTap Solutions, partnering with the company ensures an easy onboarding process with next to no maintenance required. The best part is store partners get kiosks completely for free, experiencing major benefits like an increase in foot traffic.

The thousands of eTap kiosks deployed from Luzon to Mindanao then act as the gateway for cash-heavy Filipinos into digital payments. For many, depositing cash into kiosks is the quickest and easiest way to pay bills online or check out on e-commerce sites. 
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Trust through familiarity

The hesitancy to use digital payments among many Filipinos comes from limited access to banking services and even reliable internet connection. These users would rather deal with something tangible, with ready support in case of a transaction error.

eTap kiosks provide support to its users via the official eTap and eTap Cares Facebook page. Every user messaging these pages with a concern is immediately met with the Tappy AI assistant before being connected to a live employee. This assistance is also available 24/7, 7 days a week.

Additionally, it also helps that eTap kiosks are always found in store partners that users know and love. Hard-discount grocers such as DALI and trusted neighborhood bakeshops like Rose Bakeshop present a friendly face where users know their money is safe and valued.
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Easy ability to partner with other fintech players

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It’s worth reiterating that kiosks are a gateway to digital payments, thanks to the availability of leading e-wallets like GCash and Maya plus multiple billers covering everything from utilities to loans.

These payment options are available on eTap kiosks thanks to strong partnerships we’ve worked hard to establish, putting customer-centricity at the heart of it. 
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Overall, kiosks are not here to replace apps or online banking—they complement them. For customers who already use e-wallets, kiosks provide a convenient way to top up with cash, often instantly and without the need for a linked bank account. For businesses, they increase transaction volume and reduce the barriers of adoption for digital payments.

If you want to reach millions of Filipinos around the country, partnering with eTap Solutions is the way to go!

Message us on LinkedIn or email workwithus@etapinc.com!

Article by Pancho Dizon

Graphic by Justin Khyle Calleja

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