Maya vs GoTyme vs SeaBank vs Tonik: Which Digital Bank Wins?

Quick Answer: Maya vs GoTyme vs SeaBank vs Tonik at a Glance

Choosing a digital bank in the Philippines can feel overwhelming when every app promises the highest rate or the most features. The short answer: Maya Savings wins on raw interest potential — up to roughly 15% per year, but only on balances up to ₱100,000 and only if you complete monthly spending missions (the base rate is 3.0%). GoTyme Go Save offers a simpler, condition-free flat rate of 3.0% that you earn automatically. SeaBank — which rebranded to MariBank in 2026 — pays 3.25% with no conditions, and Tonik's Stash products pay 4%–4.5%, with time deposits up to 5.5% if you can lock funds in. All four are BSP-licensed digital banks with deposits covered by PDIC insurance up to ₱1 million per depositor.

Here is a one-line verdict for each bank to help you decide at a glance: Maya is the highest-yield option for active spenders with up to ₱100,000 to park. GoTyme is the no-fuss pick for passive savers. SeaBank (MariBank) is a solid choice for Shopee regulars who want a stable rate. Tonik pays the most without missions — 4% on a Solo Stash, up to 5.5% if you can lock money in a time deposit.

What Is a Digital Bank in the Philippines?

A digital bank is a BSP-licensed financial institution that operates primarily or entirely online — no traditional branch network required. This is an important distinction because it means digital banks are regulated under the same BSP framework as traditional banks like BDO, Metrobank, or BPI, and deposits are covered by PDIC insurance up to ₱1 million per depositor per bank. Your money in a legitimate digital bank has the same legal protection as money in any other BSP-licensed institution.

It is also important to distinguish between an e-wallet and a digital bank. GCash and Maya Wallet are e-wallets — they let you store money, pay bills, and send transfers, but they are not savings accounts and do not earn deposit interest in the traditional sense. Maya Savings, on the other hand, is a separate product under Maya Bank, Inc., which holds a BSP digital banking license. When people say 'Maya earns interest,' they are referring to Maya Savings — not the Maya Wallet balance itself.

Digital banks can offer higher interest rates than traditional banks because they have significantly lower overhead costs — no physical branches to maintain, smaller staff footprint, and fully automated processes. Those savings are partly passed on to depositors in the form of better rates. The BSP's digital bank framework, formalized in 2021, has encouraged healthy competition that benefits Filipino savers.

Maya Savings: Best for Active Spenders

Maya Savings, offered by Maya Bank, Inc., is built around the idea that your savings account and your spending life should live in one place. There is no minimum balance and no maintaining balance requirement — you can open an account with ₱1 and start earning immediately.

The base interest rate is 3.0% per year (lowered from 3.5% in 2026), credited daily. That alone already beats most traditional bank savings accounts in the Philippines by a wide margin. But the real headline feature is the boosted rate: complete activity-based missions within the Maya ecosystem each month — deposits, bills, card spending — and your rate can climb to roughly 15% per year. Two conditions matter: the boosted rate applies only to balances up to ₱100,000, and the missions must be completed every month.

Beyond savings, Maya layers in a virtual Visa card (included automatically), an optional physical debit card you can order, and access to crypto, loans, and other services within the Maya super-app. For users who already rely on Maya for QR payments, bills, and online shopping, the experience feels seamless — your spending feeds into the mission requirements, and your savings earn at the boosted rate.

• Minimum balance: ₱0
• Base interest rate: 3.0% per year (lowered from 3.5% in 2026)
• Boosted interest rate: up to ~15% per year (monthly missions required; capped at ₱100,000)
• Interest crediting: daily
• Card: virtual Visa (free) + optional physical card
• Extras: crypto, loans, bills, QR payments — all in one app
• PDIC-insured: yes, up to ₱1 million per depositor
• BSP-licensed: yes

GoTyme Bank Go Save: Best for Passive Savers

GoTyme Bank is a joint venture between the Gokongwei Group and Tyme Group, two well-established names in Philippine business and global fintech respectively. Its flagship savings product, Go Save, is designed for Filipinos who want to earn a decent interest rate without having to think about it every month.

Go Save pays a flat interest rate of 3.0% per year — cut from 3.5% effective January 1, 2026 — with no activity conditions whatsoever. You deposit money, and it earns — full stop. There are no spending missions, no minimum transaction requirements, and no hoops to jump through. This predictability is GoTyme's biggest selling point for passive savers and people who prefer a set-it-and-forget-it approach to building their emergency fund or savings buffer.

GoTyme also includes a free physical Visa debit card, which is not a given with every digital bank. Perhaps most distinctively, GoTyme accounts can be opened at physical kiosks located in Robinsons malls and select partner locations nationwide. This hybrid model makes GoTyme accessible to Filipinos who are not fully comfortable with end-to-end digital onboarding — you can get help from a kiosk attendant, receive your card on the spot, and walk away with a fully functional bank account in minutes.

The savings jars feature lets you create multiple labeled savings goals within one account — for example, a jar for your emergency fund, one for vacation, and one for Christmas gifts — making goal-based saving intuitive without needing a spreadsheet.

• Minimum balance: ₱0
• Interest rate: 3.0% flat (cut from 3.5% in January 2026) — no conditions required
• Multiple savings jars: yes
• Card: free physical Visa debit card included
• Onboarding: fully digital app OR in-person kiosk (e.g., Robinsons malls)
• PDIC-insured: yes, up to ₱1 million per depositor
• BSP-licensed: yes

SeaBank (Now MariBank): Consistent Rate, No Conditions

SeaBank Philippines — rebranded to MariBank in 2026 — is backed by Sea Group, the parent company of Shopee and Garena, giving it a large and familiar ecosystem for Filipino digital consumers. MariBank operates as a fully BSP-licensed digital bank and pays 3.25% per year on balances up to ₱1 million (and 3.75% on the portion above ₱1 million, effective January 15, 2026), with no maintaining balance and no lock-in period — meaning your money stays accessible whenever you need it.

MariBank's savings product is particularly appealing to Shopee regulars because of the natural integration with Sea Group's broader ecosystem. Transfers are straightforward (InstaPay and PESONet supported), and the account operates without the activity-based conditions that Maya requires for its boosted rate. Sample math: at 3.25%, a ₱50,000 balance earns about ₱1,625 in gross interest over a year. For Filipinos who want a stable, passive savings option and already live within the Shopee world, MariBank is a natural fit. Note it is app-only — there is no debit card.

Tonik Digital Bank: Best for Locked-In Savers

Tonik was one of the first digital banks to receive a BSP license in the Philippines. Its product lineup has three tiers as of mid-2026: the plain Tonik Account earns just 1.0% per year (cut from 6% on June 5, 2026), Stash savings earn 4.0% (Solo Stash) to 4.5% (Group Stash, when saving with at least two other participants), and fixed-term time deposits earn 4.5%–5.5% depending on the term — the 12-month term pays the top 5.5% rate, with a ₱5,000 minimum and a ₱250,000 cap per time deposit.

For Filipinos who have a lump sum they do not need to touch for a few months — say, a 13th-month pay, a bonus, or savings from a freelance project — Tonik's time deposit options can be a compelling way to lock in a better guaranteed rate without taking on investment risk. Sample math: ₱100,000 in a 12-month time deposit at 5.5% earns about ₱5,500 gross (roughly ₱4,400 after the 20% withholding tax). Unlike Maya's boosted rate, which must be re-earned monthly, Tonik's time deposit rate is fixed for the entire term once you commit.

One caution: do not park everyday money in the plain Tonik Account expecting a high yield — at 1.0% it now pays less than GoTyme or MariBank. Move savings into a Solo or Group Stash (4%–4.5%, no conditions) or a time deposit to get Tonik's real rates. Set up that way, Tonik pays the highest condition-free everyday rate of the four banks compared here.

Side-by-Side Peso Math: How Much Do You Actually Earn?

Numbers make the difference clearer. Here is a sample computation showing estimated annual gross interest at three common deposit amounts, using the rates PesoHub tracked as of June 29, 2026 (Tonik shown at its 4.0% Solo Stash rate). These are estimates for comparison — verify current rates on the digital bank rates tracker and with each bank before using them for personal planning.

The peso math illustrates the real-world stakes of Maya's mission condition. At ₱100,000 deposited — the maximum balance the boosted rate covers — the gap between Maya's base rate (₱3,000/yr gross) and the boosted rate (₱15,000/yr gross) is ₱12,000 per year, a meaningful difference. But if you miss the monthly missions even occasionally, that gap narrows fast. Over a year, inconsistent mission completion could bring your effective rate below Tonik's condition-free 4% Stash rate, erasing the advantage.

For a deeper look at how rates compare across all Philippine digital banks and traditional institutions, the best digital bank rates in the Philippines page on PesoHub tracks current rates in one place. You can also compare across a wider universe of institutions on the best savings interest rates in the Philippines page.

Which Digital Bank Should You Choose? Decision Guide

The best digital bank for you depends on how you manage money day to day. There is no single winner — each bank fits a different Filipino saver profile. Whichever way you lean, confirm the current rate first on PesoHub's best digital bank rates tracker — several of these banks cut rates during 2026, and the tracker is refreshed as rates move.

Can you use more than one digital bank at the same time? Absolutely — and many savvy Filipino savers do exactly that. A common setup is keeping Maya Savings as your active, high-yield account (earned through daily spending) while parking a separate emergency fund in GoTyme or Tonik where it sits quietly and earns without conditions. Since each bank is separately PDIC-insured up to ₱1 million per depositor, spreading your savings across two or three BSP-licensed digital banks does not reduce your protection — it simply gives each peso the best job to do.

Key Things to Check Before Opening Any Digital Bank Account

Before you sign up for any digital bank account in the Philippines, run through this checklist to protect yourself and make sure you are getting what you expect.

1. 1Confirm BSP licensing: Check the BSP's official list of licensed digital banks to make sure the institution is legitimate. As of 2026, the BSP has licensed a limited number of digital banks — do not assume any app calling itself a digital bank is actually licensed.
2. 2Confirm PDIC insurance: All BSP-licensed digital banks are covered by the PDIC up to ₱1 million per depositor per bank. If you have more than ₱1 million to save, consider spreading it across multiple insured institutions.
3. 3Read the rate conditions carefully: Understand the difference between the base rate (what you always earn) and the boosted or promo rate (what you earn only if you meet certain conditions). Do not assume you will always earn the headline rate.
4. 4Check for fees: Some digital banks charge for card replacement, out-of-network ATM withdrawals, inactivity, or specific transactions. Read the fee schedule before opening.
5. 5Understand the 20% final withholding tax: In the Philippines, interest income earned on deposit accounts is subject to a 20% final withholding tax, deducted automatically by the bank before crediting your interest. The rates advertised are typically gross rates — your net earnings will be 20% lower.
6. 6Verify rates before opening: Rates at digital banks can change with little notice — promotional rates especially. Always check the bank's official website or app for the latest figures before committing your savings.

For the most current snapshot of which banks are paying the most right now, bookmark PesoHub's best digital bank rates in the Philippines and the best savings interest rates Philippines pages, which are updated regularly as rates shift across the market.