Cebu, save your sensilyo! BSP’s coin machines could arrive by January 2027
Remember those coin deposit machines that let you turn your barya into digital cash? Well, they’re finally making a comeback, although a little later than expected.
In an interview with Rappler on the sidelines of the Bahandi launch, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the central bank is now eyeing January 2027 for the machines’ return. The delay, she explained, has largely been due to the service provider taking longer than expected.
This time, the BSP wants a rollout across the regions first, with SM Cebu potentially getting first dibs.
“We’ll launch it in Cebu,” Romulo-Puyat told Rappler, adding that she also hopes to hold a launch in Mindanao.
The plan is to deploy 25 coin deposit machines outside the capital while also bringing back 25 machines in Metro Manila and doubling the original fleet.
After all, Metro Manila residents already had their turn when the BSP first introduced the machines in June 2023. (READ: How to turn coins into digital cash with Bangko Sentral’s coin deposit machines)
And what a hit they turned out to be. Filipinos hauled their loose change to participating malls, poured coins into the machines by the handful, and received the equivalent amount in their GCash or Maya wallets, GoTyme bank accounts, or shopping vouchers.
By March 2025, the BSP reported that the machines had collected around P1.4 billion worth of coins.
Now, the BSP is working with SM to bring them back, with the mall operator helping shoulder costs and identify high traffic locations for the machines.
Romulo-Puyat said the arrangement would help lower the cost of operating the program, which she acknowledged was expensive.
As for Metro Manila, the machines could return around the same time as those in the provinces, but less the fanfare.
“Here naman, announce lang namin, people will come,” she said. (We just announce it here and people will come.) – Rappler.com
