Maya tackles credit card fear with customer-first security

By TechWatch PH

For years, fear of fraud has kept many Filipinos from getting their first credit card. Now, Maya believes it has found the key to unlocking trust: putting security directly in the customer’s hands.

With the launch of its Maya Black credit card, Maya is reframing credit cards not as a risk but as an everyday tool for growth.

The numberless card features a Card Verification Value (CVV) code that refreshes with every purchase and an in-app Security Center where users can freeze or unfreeze their card, set spending limits, or block transactions instantly—no waiting on hotlines, no red tape.

“Security should not feel complicated—it should give peace of mind,” said Shailesh Baidwan, Maya Group President and Maya Bank Co-Founder. “We’re giving customers simple, powerful tools to protect themselves in real time. When people know they are in control, they are more confident to use credit and grow with it.”

The Maya Black credit card’s protections are reinforced by biometric logins, one-time passwords and AI-driven fraud monitoring capable of blocking suspicious activity instantly. Together, these features make Maya the first in the country to combine user-facing controls with enterprise-grade defenses in one integrated digital banking experience.

Maya’s strategy is grounded in the belief that trust can be designed. In a country where only 15% of Filipino adults owned at least one credit card as of 2024, according to TransUnion Philippines, fear of fraud has long been a barrier. By putting security directly in users’ hands—freezing, unfreezing and managing cards with a tap—Maya is opening the door for more first-time and hesitant customers to enter formal finance.

“This is the future of secure finance: visible, real-time and customer-driven,” Baidwan added. “By raising the bar for digital banking and credit cards in the Philippines, we are proving that world-class security and everyday usability can go hand in hand. That’s how we build lasting trust—and that’s how we grow financial inclusion.”

Maya’s security innovations are part of its broader vision of “elevated finance,” where every product—from payments and savings to credit—is designed with both protection and simplicity built in.