Digital banking in the Philippines relies heavily on balancing rapid financial access with tight cybersecurity. Lito Villanueva, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer at Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), has been named Digital Leader of the Year at the PhilSec Awards 2026 for leading initiatives at the intersection of digital security and financial inclusion.
The Features Behind the Recognition
Behind the executive recognition are several practical digital banking services designed for everyday use by Filipinos. Under Villanueva’s leadership, RCBC developed tools aimed at solving specific friction points in local and international transactions.
- On the RCBC Pulz mobile app, the bank introduced the country’s first U.S. Virtual Account for Filipinos without a U.S. address or residency, streamlining cross-border payments. (Read More: RCBC to Waive InstaPay Fees on Digital Platforms Starting July 4)
- Through its mass-market app RCBC DiskarTech, the bank partnered with the Social Security System (SSS) to power the MySSS Card, connecting government benefit disbursements directly to a digital account. (Read More: List: PH Banks With Free InstaPay and PESONet Transfers After BSP Fee Rules)
- For physical cash access in remote regions, RCBC expanded ATM Go, a merchant-operated terminal network functioning as Southeast Asia’s first manual cash withdrawal service for domestic users, tourists, and unbanked communities.
Security and Resilience in Digital Finance
The annual PhilSec Awards recognize individuals and organizations demonstrating leadership in cybersecurity, digital resilience, and innovation across public and private sectors.
Villanueva, who also serves as the founding chairman of FinTech Alliance.PH, emphasized that technological rollouts must remain anchored in user safety and trust. (Read More: AI, Tokenization, and the Future of Finance Took Center Stage at ASEAN Tech Summit)
“As digital technologies continue to reshape financial services, our responsibility is not only to innovate but also to ensure that every innovation is secure, responsible, and accessible to every Filipino,” Villanueva said during his acceptance speech.
Expanding Cross-Sector Infrastructure
The award underscores an ongoing shift in the Philippine banking sector toward collaborative digital infrastructure.
RCBC has collected regional recognition for its digital transformation, including six consecutive years as Euromoney’s Best Bank for Digital in Asia. According to the news release, through his dual role at RCBC and FinTech Alliance.PH, Villanueva continues to coordinate with government agencies, technology vendors, and financial regulators to establish standardized cybersecurity practices as the Philippine digital economy grows.
This article is published on BitPinas: RCBC’s Lito Villanueva Named PhilSec Digital Leader of the Year 2026
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