Expressnet is an

interbank network An interbank network, also known as an ATM consortium or ATM network, is a computer network that enables ATM cards issued by a financial institution that is a member of the network to be used to perform ATM transactions through ATMs that belon ...

connecting the ATM networks of seven major

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

s in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It has the second-largest number of ATMs (largely due to the vast nationwide presence of

Bank of the Philippine Islands Bank of the Philippine Islands ( fil, Bangko ng Kapuluang Pilipinas, es, Banco de las Islas Filipinas, commonly known as BPI; ) is a universal bank in the Philippines. It is the first bank in both the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is t ...

Express Teller ATMs) and the smallest number of customers and member banks. However, its strength among the interbank networks and the ubiquity of BPI ATMs have given birth to the Expressnet

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

: "The Powerful Connection". At present, Expressnet has 3.5 million customers and has 2,213 ATMs operating 24 hours a day. It has been reported that lock, stock and barrel of Expressnet has been purchased by rival interbank network

BancNet BancNet (also spelled Bancnet) is a Philippine-based interbank network connecting the Automated teller machine, ATM networks of local and offshore banks, and the country's single interbank network in the Philippines in terms of the number of m ...

. The Expressnet brand is slowly being retired as a result, and recent BPI promotional collateral no longer shows Expressnet info and membership, particularly in their new releases of BPI Express Teller cards (where BPI no longer lists itself as a member of Expressnet). Full integration of its current infrastructure to the BancNet system is expected to be completed by mid-2016.

History

Expressnet was founded on February 14, 1986, when the ATMs of

(BPI) and its subsidiary, BPI Family Savings Bank, were connected for the first time. The first Expressnet transaction was also conducted that same year. Soon thereafter, in December 1991,

Landbank Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP; often referred to simply as LandBank), is a Government-owned and controlled corporation, government-owned bank in the Philippines with a special focus on serving the needs of farmers and fisherman, fishermen. ...

joined the consortium, followed by HSBC Philippines in February 1992. Banco de Oro joined in April 1995,

BPI Direct Savings Bank Bank of the Philippine Islands ( fil, Bangko ng Kapuluang Pilipinas, es, Banco de las Islas Filipinas, commonly known as BPI; ) is a universal bank in the Philippines. It is the first bank in both the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is t ...

(a BPI subsidiary), joined in 2000 and HSBC Savings Bank, an HSBC subsidiary, became the latest Expressnet member on April 1, 2001. Expressnet and another Philippine interbank network,

MegaLink MegaLink (also spelled Megalink) is a Philippine-based developer of mobile and banking software as well as a service provider for banks, specifically for automatic teller machine networks and point of sale systems of banks in the country. Fro ...

, formed an alliance on May 6, 1997, with the main ceremony held at

Ayala Center The Ayala Center is a major commercial development operated by Ayala Land located in the Makati Central Business District in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. About the Center The Ayala Center is a recreational, shopping, dining, and enterta ...

. This meant that 2.3 million Expressnet cardholders could use their cards with MegaLink ATMs, and 2.7 million MegaLink cardholders could use their cards with Expressnet ATMs. On July 13, 2005, Expressnet and

signed a memorandum by executives of both networks. In 2008, Expressnet outsourced its ATM operations to BancNet. On January 30, 2015, BancNet and MegaLink announced their merger, switching operations to one entity (Bancnet). Expressnet is known for its Express Payment System (EPS), which was at first the

debit card A debit card, also known as a check card or bank card is a payment card that can be used in place of cash to make purchases. The term '' plastic card'' includes the above and as an identity document. These are similar to a credit card, but u ...

system of the BPI Express Teller ATM card. In 2005, the network expanded to include cardholders of all Landbank E.A.S.Y. (Express Access for Savers like You) and Banco de Oro (local and international) ATM cards.

Members

Expressnet is the primary network of the following banks listed below: * Banco de Oro (formerly a member of

, now

) - April 1995 *

and subsidiaries

and BPI Family Savings Bank (also a member of

) - February 14, 1986 *

Land Bank of the Philippines Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP; often referred to simply as LandBank), is a government-owned bank in the Philippines with a special focus on serving the needs of farmers and fishermen. While it provides the services of a universal bank, it ...

(now a member of

) - December 1991

Connectivity

All Expressnet ATM cardholders and a majority of Expressnet ATMs are connected to

and

, the other Philippine interbank networks. All Expressnet cardholders can access MegaLink and BancNet-connected ATMs and vice versa. However, not all Expressnet ATMs are linked to MegaLink and BancNet. Prominent examples of this include Landbank and HSBC, but the BPI group and Banco de Oro are accessible to MegaLink cardholders. An agreement was signed though between BancNet and Expressnet to interconnect. The first bank to make such an announcement about the BancNet-Expressnet tie-up was

Chinabank China Banking Corporation (; ), commonly known as China Bank, is a Filipino bank established in 1920. It was the first privately owned local commercial bank in the Philippines initially catering to the banking needs of Chinese Filipino businesspe ...

, of which its sister bank, Banco de Oro, is a member of Expressnet. Internationally, Expressnet cardholders (excluding Landbank and local BPI and Banco de Oro cardholders) are connected to

Maestro Maestro (; from the Italian ''wikt:maestro#Italian, maestro'' , meaning "wikt:master, master" or "teacher") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music ...

and

Cirrus Cirrus may refer to: Science *Cirrus (biology), any of various thin, thread-like structures on the body of an animal *Cirrus (botany), a tendril *Infrared cirrus, in astronomy, filamentary structures seen in infrared light *Cirrus cloud, a type ...

in the cases of BPI and Banco de Oro and

PLUS Plus may refer to: Mathematics * Addition * +, the mathematical sign Music * ''+'' (Ed Sheeran album), (pronounced "plus"), 2011 * ''Plus'' (Cannonball Adderley Quintet album), 1961 * ''Plus'' (Matt Nathanson EP), 2003 * ''Plus'' (Martin Ga ...

. Expressnet ATMs link to the same with BDO ATMs also providing access to

American Express American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized in payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The company was found ...

Japan Credit Bureau , formerly Japan Credit Bureau, is a credit card company based in Tokyo, Japan. It is accepted at JCB merchants, and has strategic alliances with Discover Network merchants in the United States, UnionPay merchants in China, American Express m ...

(JCB), Mastercard,

Visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

and

Visa Electron Visa Electron is a debit card product that uses the Visa payment system. It is offered by issuing banks in every country with the exception of Canada, Australia, Argentina, Ireland and the United States. The difference between Visa Electron and ...

cardholders.

Former members

* Banco de Oro (transfer to MegaLink, later BancNet) * BPI (transfer to BancNet) * HSBC Philippines (transfer to BancNet) *

(transfer to BancNet)

References

External links