Expanding yet further out of China, WeChat set to open Philippines office

WeChat is being marketed heavily in the Philippines with TV advertisements this year. Now, the app’s maker, Tencent (HKG:0700), is set to open a WeChat office in the Philippines, according to Justin Sun, director of international WeChat operations, in conversation with ABS-CBN News.

Back in June, WeChat became the most downloaded free app in the Philippines across Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.

A month after, Tencent declared that WeChat has 100 million users outside China. It’s not clear how many of those WeChat users are in the Philippines. The world’s top messaging app, WhatsApp, doesn’t reveal country-specific figures. But we learned today that Viber has eight million users in the Philippines, despite no marketing or TV ads.

A promising market for WeChat

With this new office, the WeChat team clearly sees the promise of further growth in the country. WeChat’s Justin Sun went to the Philippines last week for a mobile conference – a gesture that shows the firm’s interest in the country. In the ABS-CBN interview, Sun says that in Southeast Asia, the Philippines is its most important market.

The WeChat office in Manila will focus on marketing and local operations, not development of the app, which remains centered in its China HQ.

In May this year, WeChat filed with Singaporean authorities to open an office in Singapore. This makes the Philippine office its second office outside China once it opens up. There’s no time-frame for its opening.

WeChat is also targeting Indonesia, where Tencent has opened a joint venture company with a local media firm.

(Source: ABS-CBN News)

(Editing by Steven Millward)