The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will deploy 50 coin deposit machines nationwide by January 2027, dividing the fleet equally between Metro Manila and provincial regions.
Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat confirmed the timeline, noting that the central bank will place 25 machines outside the capital and return 25 units to Metro Manila to double the original fleet.
SM Cebu is slated to receive the initial regional rollout, with subsequent sites planned across Mindanao following service provider delays that pushed the project back.
Splitting the Fleet Outside the Capital
Under the revised deployment plan, the central bank will place 25 automated deposit machines across regional hubs and return 25 units to Metro Manila shopping centres. The central bank originally intended to launch the hardware earlier, but service provider delays pushed the timeline back to early 2027.
Shoppers use the self-service terminals to tip loose metal coins directly into counting funnels. The machines convert the counted change into digital credits deposited into GCash or Maya mobile wallets, GoTyme bank accounts, or retail shopping vouchers.
SM Footprint Offsets Operational Costs
The central bank is partnering with mall developer SM to house the incoming batch. SM will help absorb operational expenses and provide space in high-traffic retail properties across the country.
Central bank management acknowledged the service remains costly to operate without commercial partners sharing the burden. Working with the country’s largest retail landlord gives the monetary authority prime corridor space while avoiding standalone lease overheads.
For mall operators, hosting automated change counters turns dead foot traffic into digital balances spent on site. Shoppers holding shopping vouchers or topped-up digital wallets tend to spend those balances at nearby grocery tenants and food halls rather than carrying the currency home. The operational risk sits in hardware maintenance. Unsorted change jams deposit hoppers, and private service providers must clear bins and process logistics quickly to keep units online during peak weekend shopping hours.
Recirculating Hoarded Metal
The original pilot began in June 2023 with a cluster of terminals in the capital region. By March 2025, the pilot fleet had taken in P1.4 billion worth of loose coins from consumers.
Central banks across Southeast Asia spend millions minting low-denomination coins that vanish from circulation into household jars and piggy banks. Turning idle metal into e-wallet balances reduces currency production orders while feeding transactions directly into digital payment networks.
Provincial Rollout Targets
Metro Manila properties will receive replacement units without dedicated opening events because urban foot traffic already understands how the terminals operate. The formal regional rollout begins in SM Cebu before technical teams evaluate prospective retail properties in Mindanao.
SM and the central bank are now surveying provincial mall properties to fix machine allocations ahead of the January 2027 commissioning deadline.
