When Ronaldo from Muntinlupa suffered a stroke, life paused without warning. He lost much of his mobility, his job, and the steady income his family depended on. Recovery became more than a medical journey; it became a financial challenge as well.
The GSave Ipon to a Million raffle gave GCash users a chance to win up to ₱1 million in GCash credits, plus other prizes, by opening a GSave account and depositing funds during the promo period.
To replace lost income, Ronaldo opened a sari-sari store in their neighborhood. The earnings were modest at first, but steady. By chance, a customer asked him about GCash which touched his curiosity. This prompted him to use the e-wallet at the store, which led to more customers, he shares. What started as a simple question led to new possibilities.
With his business gaining traction, his daily sales and earnings steadily improved. This pushed him to be more intentional about saving, transforming everyday income into a habit of setting money aside.
But with limited movement and his own full-time business to look after, access to traditional banking no longer felt realistic. Physical branches, paperwork, and minimum balances felt distant from his daily reality. In that uncertain stretch, digital savings offered a way forward, giving him a sense of control.
Through GCash, Ronaldo discovered GSave, allowing him to earn interest by depositing his savings with the app’s partner banks. Having access to a financial service right from his mobile phone enabled him to manage money independently and rebuild confidence at a time when financial agency mattered most.
This is how GSave became part of Ronaldo’s daily routine. It removed the usual barriers that often make saving difficult for small store owners and informal earners. There is no maintaining balance, paperwork requirement, and savings are insured by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. The small entrepreneur finds the interest competitive, and transactions easy. Without the burden of fees or complex requirements, saving becomes accessible and sustainable.
Each night after closing his store, Ronaldo sets aside the excess funds from the day to deposit, converting daily earnings into savings. These routine micro-deposits steadily grew into working capital that helped him manage daily needs and continue his fledgling business.
“[GSave] was a big help for me. My deposits grow even while I’m asleep because of the daily interest. It’s also easy to withdraw and easy to make a deposit,” Ronaldo says. What seemed small at first accumulated into something meaningful.
After two years of consistent saving, Ronaldo has reached an unexpected milestone. He won the ₱1 million grand prize through the GSave Ipon to a Million e-raffle in December.
The e-raffle encouraged Filipinos to save by giving users a chance to win ₱1 million in GCash credits, a motorcycle, or a laptop by depositing funds into their GSave account. Fully verified GCash users aged 18 and above could earn raffle entries by opening a GSave account with a ₱100 deposit or gain additional entries for every ₱5,000 deposit made during the promo period.
Becoming a millionaire didn’t change Ronaldo’s habit of saving. In fact, the reward strengthened his resolve to save more for his child’s education and future. “Winning the raffle motivated me to remain committed to my savings routine. This huge amount will also help set more funds aside for my child,” Ronaldo said.
More than the prize, GSave brought peace of mind. It gave him the confidence to manage his money in a way that works for them, reassuring him and his family they could move forward despite setbacks. By making saving simple and accessible, GSave helps create a more level financial environment, where resilience and discipline matter more than the starting point. It shows how digital finance can help ensure no Filipino is left one crisis away from instability.
Ronaldo is among millions of Filipinos proving that digital savings can be a practical tool for everyday resilience—turning small, consistent habits into long-term financial security. As of 2025, GSave serves over 15 million registered users. One in four Filipino bank account holders has a GSave account, powered by partner financial institutions such as Bank of the Philippine Islands, CIMB Bank, Maybank, UNOBank, and Cebuana Lhuillier Bank.
For more information, please visit www.gcash.com.
