Trusting Social, Welcome Bank launch rural eKYC eSign integration

Trusting Social Philippines and Welcome Bank (Rural Bank), Inc. on Feb. 23, 2026, announced what they described as the Philippine rural banking sector’s first seamless integration of eKYC and e-signature technology, a move they said is designed to reduce long-standing barriers to formal credit for consumers and provincial communities.

The companies said the partnership is intended to deliver South Korean-level “Big Bank” efficiency to Filipino borrowers seeking personal, auto, and business financing.

They framed the rollout as a response to a common bottleneck for first-time borrowers and households pursuing major purchases, including young professionals applying for salary loans and families seeking auto or condominium financing.

In many cases, they said, loan journeys begin online but still end with manual paperwork, branch visits, and wet-ink signatures that can delay funding for days or weeks.

By integrating Trusting Social’s eKYC with eMudhra’s e-signing platform, Welcome Bank said customers can complete loan applications in minutes on their smartphones through a 100% digital flow, aimed at making capital for a home, education, or business available when it is needed.

A major feature, the companies said, is the removal of scheduled video calls from onboarding.

They contrasted the new setup with processes that require booking a live agent, which they said can create delays, virtual queues, and higher drop-off rates before a loan is completed.

“No matter where you live, you deserve a bank that works fast for you,” said Suk Sub Shim, President of Welcome Bank (Rural Bank), Inc.

“Our real goal is to earn the trust and love of the families we serve by being a bridge to their success,” Shim said.

“We’re cutting out the paperwork because a dream is too important to keep waiting,” Shim said.

“This is just the beginning of how we’re working to bring better, simpler banking to everyone.”

The new workflow uses Trusting Social’s AI-powered stack to automate steps that were previously handled manually, according to the announcement.

Borrowers take a photo of a government ID and a “selfie” for liveness detection, with the system verifying identity with “bank-grade precision,” followed by an encrypted signing flow the companies described as secure, legal, and tamper-proof.

“Every delay in a loan application is a lost chance for a business to grow or a family to achieve a milestone,” said Johnny Escaler, CEO of Trusting Social Philippines.

“By streamlining the journey from identity to signature, we are helping Welcome Bank put power back into the hands of the borrower,” Escaler said.

“We win when we bridge the gap between consumers and the life-changing opportunities they deserve,” Escaler said.

“This partnership is proof that we can use our tools to protect people, simplify their lives, and drive true inclusion.”

Trusting Social said the integration also provides Welcome Bank with technical capabilities to mitigate sophisticated risks, including deepfake identity spoofing and high-level phishing.

The companies said the implementation is strategically aligned with the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act, with Welcome Bank reaching full operational readiness ahead of the national schedule.

AFASA mandates that financial institutions implement robust, real-time measures to prevent and block suspicious account activities, the announcement said.

To support those requirements, the companies cited a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas industry deadline of June 30, 2026, for banks to deploy automated Fraud Management Systems.

They said Welcome Bank’s use of automated verification and behavioral biometrics through Trusting Social’s tools means it is meeting those standards five months early.

Trusting Social described itself as an Asian AI and Big Data company providing credit risk, identity, and customer acquisition solutions to help financial institutions reach underserved consumers.

The company said it has scored over 1 billion customers across Asia, facilitates over a million borrower-connections monthly for partners, and is trusted by more than 130 financial institutions worldwide.

Welcome Bank said it is the Philippine arm of South Korea’s Welcome Financial Group, which it described as having 12 subsidiaries and total assets of USD 3.6 billion, and it said it operates as a subsidiary of Korea’s fourth-largest savings bank.

The bank said it is driven by a mission to “enrich the lives of valued clients,” with a focus on superior service and secure financial growth in the Philippine rural banking landscape.