Profit now (and later) for BillEase

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In focus

For this edition, we cover:

• Too easy for BillEase
• When to IPO vs. when to get acquired, according to TIA data

Hello reader,

Recently, I was on the hunt for new shoes, and a quick online search flooded me with discounts and shoe brands on sale.

After deciding to take my sole searching offline, I went to an outlet store and saw something I hadn’t seen before: a BillEase QR code on the counter.

In the Philippines, we often encounter the buy now, pay later app on online platforms like Lazada or Agoda. But as I spoke to CEO Georg Steiger for this edition’s Big Story, I found out that BillEase has increased its investments in its offline presence.

This explains the new, large billboard along the expressway of a local celebrity asking me to try out BillEase’s BNPL offering.

So far, the fintech firm appears to be reaping the benefits of its investments.

Steiger says BillEase’s offline push helped drive the 51% year-on-year revenue growth it logged in 2024. The company also increased its profits for the year – a rare feat in the BNPL industry.

Meanwhile, today’s data story lays out the info on Asia’s exit trends – primarily on the common timing for an acquisition or an IPO.

Miguel Cordon, journalist

The Big Story

Beyond BNPL: How BillEase turned and sustained a profit

Photo Credit: Billease

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