June 17, 2025 l Manila Bulletin
We don’t often hear about tech stories that start right here at home and end up shaping the future beyond our borders. But that’s exactly what’s happening with the recent partnership between Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), Philippine-based Hungry Workhorse, and US-based APIwiz. This isn’t just another digital initiative. It’s a sign of something deeper—how local talent, when paired with the right technology, can drive transformation in a way that’s both meaningful and scalable. And maybe, just maybe, exportable.
RCBC has been pushing the boundaries of digital banking for years, but now they’re going all in with an API-first strategy. If that sounds like jargon, it’s not. Think of APIs (application programming interfaces) as digital bridges—little connectors that allow apps and systems to talk to each other in real-time. When a bank builds with APIs, it’s not just upgrading its website. It’s opening up a whole new way for services to be built, shared, and expanded—by both the bank and other players in the ecosystem.
What’s exciting is that this isn’t just a tech import. While APIwiz provides the platform and global architecture, the actual integration and development work is being led locally by Hungry Workhorse. That means we’re not just users of foreign tech—we’re builders. And the expertise being developed here can be used not only to transform local banking but also to provide services and talent to other countries heading down the same digital road.
We talk a lot about digital transformation in abstract terms, but here it’s real. The new RCBC Digital 2.0 Marketplace is designed to offer services in a modular, flexible way. Products can be stitched together like building blocks, giving banks and even third-party providers the ability to create new solutions quickly. It’s a model that fits perfectly with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ vision of an open, secure digital financial marketplace—one where interoperability, consumer protection, and innovation go hand in hand.
But here’s the part that really stands out for me: This isn’t just about APIs or banking. It’s about people. It’s about developing Filipino tech talent—not just to fill support roles, but to lead, design, and implement high-value, high-impact systems. Hungry Workhorse isn’t just building solutions; it’s nurturing local capability, offering hands-on implementation support, design thinking, and strategic development that strengthens the entire ecosystem.
Cultivating homegrown expertise
This has huge implications. The Philippines is rich in tech talent, but so much of it is underutilized or exported in bits and pieces. With initiatives like this, we have the chance to cultivate full-stack expertise at home. From ideation to execution, Filipinos are shaping the future of digital finance. And once we perfect this model here, there’s no reason we can’t offer the same to other emerging markets.
We’ve already seen how digital solutions made by Filipinos—especially in the BPO and software development sectors—have had a global impact. But this partnership shows that we can go beyond outsourced services. We can lead transformation efforts in highly regulated, innovation-heavy spaces like banking. And we can do it in a way that aligns with global standards while keeping our local context front and center.
I’ve always believed that technology only matters when it meets human needs. That’s what this collaboration is doing. It’s making digital banking faster, more secure, and more responsive to real-life Filipino users. But more than that, it’s opening a path for Filipino developers, strategists, and designers to be key players in digital finance, both here and eventually abroad.
There’s a global demand for API-driven solutions. Banks around the world are trying to modernize their systems, open their platforms, and stay compliant with evolving regulations. What RCBC, Hungry Workhorse, and APIwiz are building together isn’t just good for the Philippines—it’s potentially a model for the rest of the world. And the people behind it? They’re homegrown.
I think we’ll look back at this moment and see it as more than just a tech upgrade. It’s the beginning of a bigger shift—where Filipino talent isn’t just part of the story, but leading it. When we combine vision, infrastructure, and the right kind of partnerships, we unlock a future where our digital capabilities become one of our biggest exports.
So yes, it’s about APIs. But it’s also about ambition. It’s about laying down the rails today for the kind of future we want tomorrow. One where the Philippines doesn’t just adopt innovation but creates it—and shares it with the world.
***The views expressed herein are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX. For comments, email rey.lugtu@hungryworkhorse.com. Photo is from Pinterest.