Insider Spotlight
The company said its "made-to-measure" microinsurance products are designed to address final medical liabilities and funeral expenses, providing immediate financial support to families that often exhaust their savings before the death of a breadwinner.
The expansion comes as insurance penetration in the Philippines remains at 2 percent despite growing concerns over healthcare costs.
The big picture
CashKO said around 67 percent of adult Filipinos consider staying healthy and avoiding illness their top personal concern, while many workers in the informal sector remain vulnerable to debt when faced with medical emergencies. The company said its products are intended to prevent families from falling deeper into poverty while waiting for other forms of financial assistance.
Market vendor Lolita Lugasan recounted receiving her insurance claim shortly after her husband's death.
“Makalipas ang ilang araw matapos mamatay ang asawa ko, mabilis kong nakuha ang claim. Ramdam mo na may nag-aalaga sa iyo, may malasakit (A few days after my husband died, I was able to receive my claim quickly. You can truly feel that someone is taking care of you and genuinely cares about you),” Lugasan said in a press statement.
“‘Yung nakuha ko sa CashKO, kinabukasan, nataon na birthday niya. Hinati ko 'yun. Yung kalahati, ipinanghanda ko. Pero yung kalahati, inilagay ko sa negosyo ko para may umiikot akong puhunan,” she added.
(I received the CashKO benefit the next day, and it happened to be his birthday. I split the money in half. I used one half to prepare a birthday celebration, and I put the other half into my business so I would have capital to keep it running.)
Why it matters
CashKO said it co-designs its insurance products with rural banks, cooperatives, and microfinance institutions to better match the income patterns and risks of local communities.
"Financial protection should be within everyone's reach. It should not be a luxury, but a necessity. Our microinsurance service is tailored to the unique needs of Filipino households, moving away from rigid, traditional insurance and instead co-designing 'made-to-measure' plans with local institutions,” RuralNet founder and CEO Justin Arcenas said.
“By leveraging technology, we are helping more Filipino families build genuine financial resilience and long-term peace of mind, so that losing a breadwinner doesn't mean starting back at zero," Arcenas said.
The company attributed its expansion to RuralNet's digital infrastructure, which it said streamlines claims processing, maintains a 97 percent claims approval rate, and enables payouts 75 percent faster than the industry average.
CashKO added that it now operates through more than 5,000 partner branches nationwide, supporting its goal of making microinsurance more accessible to underserved communities. —Vanessa Hidalgo| Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
