Investment Apps in the Philippines That Will Let You Buy Funds for as Low as P50

Editor's note: This article does not constitute financial advice or recommendation. The Beat recommends that you speak with a qualified professional before making any investment decision. 

Want to dip your toes into the world of investing? With the Philippine inflation rate hovering above 4%, parking your extra cash in the bank may not be the best idea if you want to grow your money. Thankfully, investing as a beginner is no longer as intimidating as it was eons ago. With a few clicks (and some risk appetite), you can now trade stocks, purchase bonds, and monitor your investments.

Here are three investment apps in the Philippines suited for a beginner investor like you.

GCash’s GInvest

Buying investment funds is just one of the many things you can do through the GCash app. Launched in March 2021, GInvest is the digital payment platform’s investment arm that specifically targets beginner investors with its user-friendly interface. Its funds are managed by ATRAM Trust Corporation and Seedbox Philippines.

There are five funds available on GInvest as of this writing:

ATRAM Peso Money Market Fund, a Philippine-based fixed-income fund.

ATRAM Total Return Peso Bond Fund, which is a mixture of Philippine government and corporation bonds.

ATRAM Philippine Equity Smart Index Fund, which invests only in 30 companies composed of the PSEi index.

ATRAM Global Technology Feeder Fund, which invests entirely in equities of technology companies.

ATRAM Global Consumer Trends Feeder Fund, which invests in equities based on individual consumer needs.

Who can invest?

Filipinos aged 18 and above with a valid ID are eligible to invest. The minimum initial investment is P50.

eToro

Another investment app in the Philippines for beginners is eToro, a multi-asset brokerage company that specializes in financial and copy trading services. Signing up for eToro is straightforward: download the app, create your profile, and deposit funds once you are ready to invest. But the beauty of this app lies in its “CopyTrader” function, which essentially lets you copy the trading moves of another user in real time.

To do this, simply search for popular investors and then narrow down the results based on success rate, assets, gains, and other metrics. Unsure if it is up your alley? You can try it out for free! Upon signing, you will receive US$100,000 virtual money in your account, and you can use this to practice copy-trading, open positions, and test your risk appetite!

Who can join?

Anyone with a valid ID can create an eToro account. For first timers, the minimum initial deposit is P10,000.

Bonds.PH

Want to start your investing journey without incurring too much risk? Bonds may be for you.

Bonds is just a fancy word for debt so do not get intimated when this term is thrown around. Bonds come in two forms: government or Treasury bonds and corporate bonds. With Bonds.PH, you can invest in government bonds known as T-bonds. They pay interest every quarter, are considered less risky than stocks, and earn more than the average time deposit. Bonds.PH is under UnionBank in partnership with cryptocurrency trading platform PDAX.

Who can join?

Like the other two investment apps in the Philippines, Bonds.PH is open to anyone with a valid primary ID. The minimum initial investment is P5,000.