Not pulling any punches: Manny Pacquiao swaps boxing gloves for fintech

Former professional boxer Manny Pacquiao has thrown his hat in the fintech ring and is gearing up to launch a payment platform for influencers in the Philippines. 

Pacquiao, who is currently serving a six-year term as a senator in his home country, has said his firm will launch his latest venture by the end of 2020. 

Pac Technologies, coined after Pacquiao’s nickname ‘PacMan’, has joined forces with Remesea Pte Ltd, a Singaporean remittance firm, to bring faster and safer cross-border payments to the Philippines. 

The two firms have entered into a strategic partnership to build and launch PacPay firstly in the Philippines and then onto Singapore and the rest of Asia. 

Of the newest venture, Pacquiao said: “My fans have supported me over the past decades since I started my career as a boxer. I certainly hope to have more opportunities to engage with them.” 

“Through the unique card programme, my followers will be incentivized with exclusive rewards including complimentary tickets, limited edition autographed merchandises and attractive discounts by merchants around the world.” 

According to the boxer, PacPay will make payments between influencers and brands as seamless as possible and will also have a rewards programme to bolster communication between influencers and brands. 

Sean Wong, CEO of Pac Technologies, added: “The global landscape of payments is witnessing unprecedented growth. This is an incredible opportunity for us to enter the regional market.” 

“We are excited to work with Remsea to add value and enhance our product range by offering prepaid debit cards to the global fans of Sen. Pacquiao,"  

Despite being elected Senator in 2016 and going onto co-found Pac Technologies in May 2020, Pacquiao has remained an active boxer too, with the welterweight becoming the only boxer to hold world championship titles across four decades earlier on this year.