Sending money from Singapore to the Philippines: the payments stack
Sending SGD 260 from Singapore to the Philippines cost 3.16% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 38 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Philippines typically run over InstaPay, InstaPay for Business; between now and the end of 2027 there are 7 weekdays when banks in Singapore are closed but Philippines keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 3.16% of SGD 260 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 2.63% across 28 services |
| Banks | 5.25% across 8 services |
| Collect in Singapore | FAST, PayNow, MEPS+, Interbank GIRO, PayNow cross-border linkages (PromptPay, UPI, DuitNow) |
| Pay out in Philippines | InstaPay, InstaPay for Business, PESONet, PhilPaSSplus (RTGS) |
What it costs to send SGD 260
The World Bank surveyed 38 services sending from Singapore to the Philippines from 19 August 2025 to 25 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 3.16% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 2.63% and banks 5.25%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: Singapore
- Cross-border money transfer service (Activity C under the Payment Services Act) means providing inbound or outbound remittance service in Singapore, and also facilitating remittance between entities in different countries even if monies are not accepted or received in Singapore. source
- There are three licence types: a money-changing licence, a Standard Payment Institution (SPI) licence for services below the thresholds in section 6(5) of the Act, and a Major Payment Institution (MPI) licence without those limits. The thresholds are S$3 million of monthly transactions for any one activity, S$6 million for two or more activities and S$5 million of daily outstanding e-money. source
- Base capital is S$100,000 for an SPI and S$250,000 for an MPI. Before starting business an MPI must also lodge security with MAS, as a cash deposit or bank guarantee, of S$100,000 if its monthly payment transactions average no more than S$6 million for any one payment service, or S$200,000 in all other cases. source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from Singapore.
The payout side: the Philippines
| Payout partner | What it does in Philippines | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Thunes · our guide | Pays to Philippine bank accounts, to wallets including Coins, GCash, GrabPay and PayMaya, and to cash pickup (Thunes, August 2024). | source |
| Nium · our guide | Pays PHP to bank accounts at all major Philippine banks (InstaPay real time up to PHP 50,000, PESONet same day for instructions by 2 p.m.), to wallets, to cards via Visa Direct and as cash payout. | source |
| dLocal · our guide | Supports payouts in the Philippines by bank transfer and to wallets such as PayMaya, GCash, Coins, GrabPay and PalawanPay. | source |
| Xendit | Pays out PHP over InstaPay (about 15 minutes, PHP 50,000 limit) and PESONet (same day, 2 p.m. Manila cut-off, no limit) for B2B, B2C, C2B and C2C flows. | source |
| Coins.ph | Coins.ph Business offers APIs to collect through QR Ph and WebPay, disburse through InstaPay, and trade or embed crypto on and off ramps, with KYB onboarding. | source |
| TerraPay · our guide | Partnered with Raenest in February 2026 to provide local-currency payouts to freelancers in the Philippines and India. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Philippines: launching payments in Philippines.
Payout rails in Philippines
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| InstaPay | Philippine Payments Management Inc. (PPMI) under the BSP | Real-time transfers 24x7; Nium routes payouts of up to PHP 50,000 per transfer over InstaPay and larger ones over PESONet. | source |
| InstaPay for Business | Philippine Payments Management Inc. (PPMI) under the BSP | Launched 29 July 2026: businesses can send real-time transfers of up to PHP 500,000 per transaction, 24/7. Initial participants were PNB, Wise Pilipinas, DCPay Philippines, GoTyme Bank and RCBC, with 12 more signalling intent to join. | source |
| PESONet | Philippine Payments Management Inc. (PPMI), authorised by the BSP | Batch transfers in full value with no network minimum or maximum, in three settlement windows with cut-offs at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Manila time; beneficiaries are credited by 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively, and each bank sets its own earlier cut-offs and channel limits. | source |
| PhilPaSSplus (RTGS) | Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas | Open 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. on weekdays and settles the clearing results of InstaPay, PESONet, cheques and ATMs; the BSP has proposed running it 22 hours a day, seven days a week. | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 7 dates when Singapore is closed and the Philippines is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 17 dates when Philippines is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | Singapore | Philippines | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov 2026 | Open | All Souls' Day | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 9 Nov 2026 | Deepavali (Monday holiday) | Open | Prefund Philippines the day before: no funding from Singapore, payouts continue |
| Mon 30 Nov 2026 | Open | Bonifacio Day | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 8 Dec 2026 | Open | Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 24 Dec 2026 | Open | Christmas Eve | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Christmas Day | Both closed |
| Wed 30 Dec 2026 | Open | Rizal Day | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 31 Dec 2026 | Open | Last Day of the Year | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | New Year's Day | Both closed |
| Mon 8 Feb 2027 | Chinese New Year (Monday holiday) | Open | Prefund Philippines the day before: no funding from Singapore, payouts continue |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Open | Eid'l Fitr | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Hari Raya Puasa | Open | Prefund Philippines the day before: no funding from Singapore, payouts continue |
| Thu 25 Mar 2027 | Open | Maundy Thursday | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | Good Friday | Both closed |
| Fri 9 Apr 2027 | Open | Araw ng Kagitingan | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Hari Raya Haji | Open | Prefund Philippines the day before: no funding from Singapore, payouts continue |
| Thu 20 May 2027 | Vesak Day | Open | Prefund Philippines the day before: no funding from Singapore, payouts continue |
| Mon 9 Aug 2027 | National Day | Open | Prefund Philippines the day before: no funding from Singapore, payouts continue |
| Mon 30 Aug 2027 | Open | National Heroes Day | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 28 Oct 2027 | Deepavali | Open | Prefund Philippines the day before: no funding from Singapore, payouts continue |
| Mon 1 Nov 2027 | Open | All Saints' Day | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 2 Nov 2027 | Open | All Souls' Day | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 30 Nov 2027 | Open | Bonifacio Day | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 8 Dec 2027 | Open | Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 24 Dec 2027 | Open | Christmas Eve | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 30 Dec 2027 | Open | Rizal Day | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 31 Dec 2027 | Open | Last Day of the Year | Philippines banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
Full calendars: Singapore and Philippines. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- FAST runs 24x7 at most participants, but some banks give a FAST transaction the next business day as value date if it is made after a cut-off time or on a non-business day. source
- A single FAST transfer is capped at S$200,000, so larger SGD movements go through MEPS+, which settles only on business days (Monday to Friday, excluding public and bank holidays). source
- Interbank USD/PHP spot trades settle T+1 and only BSP-authorised universal and commercial banks that are BAP members trade in that market, so pesos bought on the last banking day before a weekend or holiday arrive after it. source
- PhilPaSSplus is open only 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. on weekdays and settles InstaPay and PESONet clearing results, so interbank settlement of those payments waits for PhilPaSSplus to open. source
- PESONet instructions sent after the 4 p.m. cut-off fall into the next window, which closes at 10 a.m. and credits beneficiaries by 1 p.m.; banks and payout providers set earlier cut-offs (Xendit and Nium use 2 p.m. Manila time). source
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in Singapore, the payout partners and banks in Philippines and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Philippines balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from Singapore to the Philippines?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending SGD 260 at 3.16% in Q3 2025, across 38 services. Money transfer operators averaged 2.63%.
Which rails pay out in Philippines?
Local payouts run over InstaPay, InstaPay for Business, PESONet, PhilPaSSplus (RTGS).
When do I need to prefund Philippines payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 7 weekdays when Singapore is closed and the Philippines is open, the first on Mon 9 Nov 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- Public Holidays for 2027 (press release, 18 June 2026) · Ministry of Manpower
- Public holidays (2026 and 2027) · Ministry of Manpower
- LIST: Holidays, special non-working days for 2027 · Philippine Daily Inquirer
- Palace releases 2026 Philippine holidays · GMA News
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.
About Polynopsis
Polynopsis is liquidity management software for cross-border payment companies. The name joins poly, many, and synopsis, a seeing together: one live view of money spread across many banks, payout partners, exchanges and stablecoin wallets, including money in flight, with a warning before any corridor runs dry.
Why it is called Polynopsis · About Polynopsis · Glossary · Corridor runway calculator