Empowering Filipinos: Lito Villanueva's Digital Banking Vision

11/08/2025

Lito Villanueva, a seasoned financial technology guru, is on a mission to transform Filipino lives through digital banking.

With an 87% smartphone penetration in the Philippines, promoting digital banking remains an uphill battle. Lito Villanueva, RCBC’s executive vice president and YGC’s digital transformation advisor, sees this as an opportunity to empower Filipino communities.

A Digital Trailblazer with a Mission

Armed with a magna cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, Lito Villanueva embarked on a journey to marry academia with digital innovation. His commitment has fueled the creation of smarter, inclusive financial systems, capable of empowering individuals across the Philippines.

Villanueva believes that finance is more than wealth accumulation; it’s about granting individuals the tools to make informed choices and garner confidence in financial endeavors. He envisions a future where the digital space is inclusive for the Philippines’ 85 million internet users.

The FinTech Drive

FinTech, as per Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, plays an essential role for unbanked Filipinos, offering them an entry into the financial system. Villanueva advocates for a “cash-lite” economy, a necessary evolution in a nation still deeply reliant on cash transactions.

His team at RCBC strives to assess financial literacy levels among the public to craft accessible digital finance solutions. “Digital finance,” Villanueva states, “is innovation with empathy.”

Creating Impactful Solutions

Villanueva’s approach is ground-up. Collaborating with various sectors and diving into local communities, he ensures that digital financial solutions resonate with the Filipino heart and mind. Initiatives like DiskarTech offer multilingual financial services, bridging the literacy gap.

His team has ventured to remote areas to conduct financial literacy bootcamps, ensuring digital finance accessibility and breaking down financial barriers.

Innovations with a Purpose

Such dedication has birthed RCBC’s Pulz app, a digital tool integrating quintessential financial services with educational modules, aiming to make smart banking accessible and understandable. This initiative extends to ATMGo, a groundbreaking “kapitbahay” ATM system reaching the most secluded rural areas.

Building a Financially Literate Generation

Villanueva believes financial literacy development starts early. Hence, RCBC collaborates with educational institutions to embed financial education into curricula, a move that seems to be bearing fruit with the bank’s consecutive accolades as the country’s “Best Bank for Digital.”

His dedication extends beyond awards; it lies in transforming lives through financial empowerment. As Founding Chairman of FinTech Alliance PH, he surges ahead, guided by a vision of inclusive finance.

Recognizing Impact Over Accolades

As awards amass, Villanueva remains grounded. His story is about leveraging technology for a better Filipino future—purpose-driven innovation over shiny titles.

For Villanueva, real success lies in the lives touched by digital finance and the SMEs powering the nation. His focus is unwavering: empowering individuals and uplifting communities. “Real lives empowered, one digital step at a time,” he concludes.

Art direction by DEXTER FRANCIS DE VERA

Photography by RENJIE TOLENTINO

Grooming by SOFIA DAY