BayaniPay

Modernizing digital remittance for one of the biggest banks in the Philippines.

COMPANY

Talino Fintech Foundry

BayaniPay

ROLE

Lead Product Designer

EXPERTISE

Product Design, Design Audit, Design System

YEAR

2022-2023

Background

BayaniPay is a cross-border financial platform built to help Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) send money to their families in the Philippines quickly, securely, and without the need to visit physical remittance centers.

The product was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, when traditional remittance services became difficult to access. In partnership with BDO Remit, BayaniPay transformed a largely offline remittance process into a seamless digital experience, allowing users to transfer money anytime, anywhere.

Today, BayaniPay has evolved beyond remittances into a broader financial platform offering bill payments, business payments, rewards, and digital financial services. Its financial services were later integrated into SFC+, where I also led the product design.

The problem

Remittances contribute nearly 10% of the Philippines' GDP, making them a vital source of income for millions of Filipino families.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, overseas remittances declined as lockdowns limited access to physical remittance centers. BDO Remit's traditional, non-digital process made it difficult for customers to continue sending money safely and conveniently.

The goal was clear:

Create a secure, fully digital remittance experience that enables Overseas Filipino Workers to send money quickly and confidently from anywhere in the world.

Remittances contribute nearly 10% of the Philippines' GDP, making them a vital source of income for millions of Filipino families.

The goal was clear:

Create a secure, fully digital remittance experience that enables Overseas Filipino Workers to send money quickly and confidently from anywhere in the world.

My role

I joined BayaniPay after the initial product had been established and took ownership of its continued product design following the departure of the previous design lead.

I led the design of major product initiatives, refined core user journeys, evolved the design system, and partnered closely with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders to support BayaniPay's growth from a digital remittance solution into a broader financial platform.

I joined BayaniPay after the initial product had been established and took ownership of its continued product design following the departure of the previous design lead.

Featured initiatives

Remittance Experience

Redesigned BayaniPay's core remittance flow to create a faster and more transparent money transfer experience.

Features included:

Real-time exchange rate and conversion preview
Clear transfer amount and fee breakdown
Flexible delivery options, including cash pickup and direct bank deposits
Improved information hierarchy and reduced transaction friction

Expanding the Financial Ecosystem

Designed and launched major platform initiatives including:

Single Sign-On (SSO) payment flow
Global B2B Business Payments
Bills Pay
Recurring bill payments
Edge-case handling for payment failures
Bills Pay CMS (Biller Management Portal)
Rewards system integration
Admin dashboard refinements

Design System Evolution

Led the modernization of BayaniPay's design system by introducing reusable components, standardized design tokens, documentation, and versioning to improve scalability and consistency across the platform.

I also created comprehensive design audit documentation and implementation guidelines for developers, strengthening collaboration between design and engineering while improving implementation quality.

Migration to SFC+

As BayaniPay expanded, I also led the migration of its financial services into SFC+, adapting existing experiences into a larger digital marketplace while refreshing the visual language and evolving the design system to support future growth.

Impact

BayaniPay experienced significant growth as the platform continued to evolve.

Acquired 1,300 users within three months of its public launch
Grew to 4,000+ users by April 2022
Processed over USD 20 million in payments throughout 2023
Reached 25,000+ customers by 2024
Secured USD 3 million in funding in 2024 to accelerate global expansion, with a goal of processing USD 200 million in payments by the end of the year

Beyond designing interfaces, I helped shape BayaniPay's evolution through product ideation, UX improvements, design system development, design audits, and developer documentation—creating a scalable foundation that supported the platform's continued growth and its successful integration into the SFC+ ecosystem.

BayaniPay experienced significant growth as the platform continued to evolve.

Acquired 1,300 users within three months of its public launch
Grew to 4,000+ users by April 2022
Processed over USD 20 million in payments throughout 2023
Reached 25,000+ customers by 2024
Secured USD 3 million in funding in 2024 to accelerate global expansion, with a goal of processing USD 200 million in payments by the end of the year

msaekmri@gmail.com