CashKO expands safety net for disaster-hit Filipino families

Insider Spotlight

• CashKO is expanding its calamity microinsurance program nationwide as typhoons and flooding increase financial risks for underserved Filipino households
• The company plans to launch parametric insurance in the fourth quarter, complementing its existing indemnity coverage with faster, trigger-based payouts
• Eligible assistance typically provides around P5,000 in emergency support, while CashKO’s network has reached more than 6 million underserved Filipinos since 2019
  
  
  
  

CashKO is scaling its calamity microinsurance program nationwide, widening access to emergency financial protection as typhoons, monsoon rains and flooding threaten household incomes and livelihoods across the Philippines.

The RuralNet subsidiary said the expansion responds to growing demand for disaster protection. National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council data cited by CashKO showed about 7.5 million people were affected by tropical cyclones “Luis,” “Maymay” and “Neneng,” and the southwest monsoon, while 2024 survey data showed 87 percent of microfinance institution borrowers were interested in calamity protection.

‘Made-to-measure’ approach

CashKO is using RuralNet’s digital, API-driven platform to integrate coverage into partner financial systems. Its “made-to-measure” approach allows coverage parameters, payout thresholds and loan integration to be tailored to the needs and risk profiles of partner organizations and their members.

The company currently offers indemnity insurance, where payouts depend on verified damage to a policyholder’s home. It plans to introduce parametric insurance in the fourth quarter, using predefined conditions such as typhoon category or earthquake magnitude and satellite and ground-station data to trigger payouts.

Protection against financial hardship

“For vulnerable communities, the value of insurance is measured by how quickly and effectively it can help them recover when disaster strikes. By combining indemnity and parametric protection, we can offer borrowers and financial institutions solutions that are better suited to their different needs, while making critical assistance faster and more accessible. Our goal is to ensure that a calamity does not become a setback that pushes families further into financial hardship,” CashKO Insurance Brokerage president and CEO Justin Arcenas said in a press statement.

Teacher Joy Verano also described how insurance assistance helped her family after Typhoon “Opong” in 2025.

"Iyong pera na ibinigay sa amin, nabili agad namin ng priority at pangangailangan ng pamilya ko. Kung wala akong natanggap, wala akong maaasahang tulong na kung ano pa man (The money we received allowed us to immediately buy the priority items and necessities my family needed. If I hadn’t received it, I wouldn’t have had any other assistance to rely on)," Verano said.

Post-disaster expenses

Eligible assistance typically amounts to around P5,000 for urgent post-disaster expenses. Since 2019, CashKO’s network has reached more than 6 million underserved Filipinos and approved over 33,000 claims, including more than 16,000 in 2025 alone. —Vanessa Hidalgo| Ed: Corrie S. Narisma