Paperless, one account: Investing made easy with FundSmart

MANILA, Philippines – Investor knowledge and empowerment. Seamless access. Investing with confidence.

These are some of the core tenets of the Metrobank Group’s First Metro Securities Brokerage Corp. (FirstMetroSec) as it continues pushing for Filipinos’ financial growth through investing in mutual funds and Unit Investment Trust Funds (UITFs) — with ease and convenience.

Enter FundsMart, the company’s investment funds online “supermarket” that enables users to invest in the country’s top peso- and dollar-denominated mutual funds and UITFs without additional paperwork and transaction fees — and using only one account.

According to FirstMetroSec president Gonzalo Ordonez, Filipinos are generally afraid to invest. In fact, he said only 2% of our countryman are engaged in trading stocks. And this, he emphasized, is where the challenge lies for their group.

“Part of our goal is to educate that 98% and, through FundsMart, give power to the investor and provide seamless access to the average Filipino,” Ordonez told reporters and editors during a media briefing at the Holiday Inn & Suites Makati on Thursday.

FundsMart prides itself as a “one-stop shop” for customers, who can conveniently invest in mutual funds and UITFs using their phones, as it is available both on Android an iOS. First launched in 2017, the online funds “supermarket”, per its official website, now offers numerous peso-dominated mutual funds managed by the top asset management companies in the country, including Sun Life Financial, Philequity Management Inc., Philam Asset Management Inc., BPI and the ATR Asset Management Group. 

FirstMetroSec senior vice president Mhelvin Abajon detailed the four main factors that make FundsMart the go-to place for online investors: ease of account opening, ease of funding, a low starting investment, and confidence-building.

“You don’t even need a Metrobank account to get started. FundsMart accepts many payment methods, including GCash, coins.ph and other e-wallets,” Abajon said.

He also underscored FundsMart fully digital, paperless nature, and that one could invest for as low as P1,000, and using only one online account to consolidate their investments.

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