Smile API Weblog

In a compelling development in the fintech industry, a top-rated consumer finance app, BillEase has announced a strategic partnership with Smile API an innovative leader in employment verification solutions. This partnership is set to revolutionize the way consumers sync their employment data, enhancing overall user experience and financial data security. In consumer finance, verification is critical not just for customers but also for the businesses involved. For the customers, a fast and reliable employment verification process provides quicker access to credit facilities, fostering financial empowerment. Customers will no longer have to experience long waiting periods for verification, which often resulted in delayed access to much-needed funds. With this innovative integration, the turnaround time for loan approvals will be significantly decreased, offering customers a smoother, more efficient financial journey. BillEase offers customers a range of financial services such as personal loans, e-wallet top-ups, prepaid load, gaming credits, bills payment, and a customizable shop now, pay later for online and in-store shopping in over 3,000+ merchant partners in electronics, home essentials, health and wellness, education, food, fashion, and other sectors. All these services require employment data verification ad limit review processes. Prior to this integration with Smile API, the average employment verification process using the BillEase app took up hours to complete. The ground-breaking integration is expected to reduce this verification time to 5 minutes, eliminating the conventional hurdles faced by consumers while ensuring faster and more efficient data handling.

Singapore, January 17, 2023 - Smile Technology Pte Ltd, a leading provider of employment and income data in Asia, announced today that it has joined the Provenir Marketplace. The Provenir Data Marketplace is a one-stop hub that offers businesses worldwide easy access to various data sources for various needs, such as KYC, fraud, credit risk, identity verification, and more. Smile API provides customers easy access to a wide range of employment information from various sources through a single API. This information can be used for credit decisions and loan underwriting, which can help reduce nonperforming loans. Through this partnership, Provenir users will now have access to Smile API's valuable employment and income data. Smile API's data is sourced from HR, payroll, commerce, and marketplace platforms, and is fully compliant with local data privacy regulations. Unlike traditional credit data sources, Smile API provides greater coverage, real-time access, and the most recent, comprehensive, verified data about a user's identity, employment, and income. By integrating Smile API's technology, businesses will have a more robust and detailed picture of a person's creditworthiness, allowing them to make more informed and accurate credit decisions. "We are excited to be joining the Provenir Marketplace," said Jerome Eger, CEO of Smile Technology. "This partnership will allow us to expand our reach and provide our data to a wider range of financial services and fintech companies in the region." About Smile API Smile Technology Pte Ltd is one trusted source for employment data in Asia. Smile provides user-authorized access to valuable employment and income data from HR, payroll, commerce, and marketplace platforms through a single API. Banks, fintechs, recruitment agencies, and other service providers can leverage employment and income data to increase adoption and conversion and reduce cost and risk. Permission to access their personal data is given by each user to enable seamless data sharing with trusted parties. About Provenir Provenir offers a platform that utilizes AI to assist financial service providers in making faster and more informed decisions. The platform combines data, AI, and decision-making tools into one solution to enhance the customer experience, increase access to financial services, and improve overall business agility for organizations. Provenir’s platform is utilized by financial service providers in over 50 countries and processes billions of transactions annually.

Singapore, December 27, 2022 - Smile API, the leading provider of innovative financial technology solutions, is proud to announce that it has been certified as a FinTech by the Singapore FinTech Association (SFA). The SFA's FinTech certification program distinguishes the FinTech companies from other SFA members and FinTechs in the marketplace by assessing the company's capabilities and products in the areas of financial services solutions, customer experience, and the use of technology. It is awarded to companies that provide technology solutions to improve and automate the delivery of financial services to end customers, businesses or as a partner to financial institutions, as well as those that enable innovative products and services. The certification is designed to help FinTechs stand out in a competitive landscape, providing assurance to stakeholders that they have met a set of standards that are recognized by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to avail of various grants offered by MAS and similar government entities in the city-state. Smile API provides employment data across different employment platforms and employers, all through a single API for credit decisions and loan underwriting. Unlike traditional sources of credit data like credit scores, black lists or manually submitted documents, we provide greater coverage, real-time access, and the most recent, comprehensive, verified, data about your users' identity, employment and income that is available in the market today. "We are honored to receive this certification from the SFA," said Jerome Eger, CEO of Smile API. "This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, who are constantly striving to deliver the best possible financial technology solutions to our customers. Smile API is also excited to be part of the SFA community and to be recognized as a Certified FinTech. This will further our goal of bringing Financial inclusion in the region, by making it easier for companies based in Singapore to use Smile API and take advantage of government incentives and grants. We are working hard to make financial inclusion a reality by ensuring that everyone has access to the financial tools and resources they need to improve their lives. When people are financially included, they can build savings, access credit, and make investments that can help them escape poverty and build a better future for themselves and their families. One of the biggest barriers to financial inclusion has been because financial services have been costly to bring and offer to the lowest economic segments of society because of a lack of reliable data. However, with Smile this can change.” About Smile API Smile Technology Pte Ltd is the one trusted source for employment data in Asia. Smile provides user-authorized access to valuable employment and income data from HR, payroll, commerce, and marketplace platforms through a single API. Banks, fintechs, recruitment agencies, and other service providers can leverage employment and income data to increase adoption and conversion, reduce cost, and reduce risk. Permission to access their own personal data is given by each individual users themselves, so they can seamlessly share this data with the parties they trust. https://www.getsmileapi.com/ About Singapore FinTech Association The SFA is a cross-industry and non-profit organisation. Its purpose is to support the

- MANILA, Philippines (July 18, 2022) -- We are inviting you workers to participate in our work and income data survey and get the chance to win Lazada gift cards as well as the opportunity to donate to the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, Inc (TWHI), a non-stock, non-profit organization that provides programs and services to Filipinos with orthopedic disabilities. For every completely answered survey we will be donating ₱50 to TWHI. Share this survey https://zcu.io/zoJP to your colleagues, then register to join the raffle where we will give away Lazada Gift Cards worth ₱1,000. You can even increase your chances of winning by referring as many coworkers as you can. The survey is available on various online platforms which will run until September 30, 2022. The short survey is part of Smile API's efforts in creating a win-win situation between workers, financial institutions and other businesses when it comes to availing of financial services and products, making better credit decisions, including but not limited to improving recruitment and hiring processes. We chose to partner with TWHI since their mission of inclusion intersects with Smile's own values and that is helping people, especially those in underserved communities to gain access to better opportunities. Founded in 1973 by a Belgian nun, Sr. Valeriana Baerts, ICM, the TWHI center works to uplift the lives of persons with orthopedic impairment – by helping them become self-sufficient and contributing members of the society. According to TWHI Administrative Manager Ramon Apilado, their center runs a number of workshops employing PWDs for the production of wheelchairs, furniture, bags, and many other goods, including the tertiary packaging of medicines from partner pharmaceutical companies. "We may be persons with disabilities but we can do jobs other people can't do, you just have to give us the opportunity and we can do the job well," Apilado said. "We are thankful to Smile API for choosing our organization TWH to be one of their partners, and we are very happy because for very completed survey, 50 pesos will be donated to our organization." About Us Smile Technology Pte Ltd is one trusted source for employment data in Asia. Smile provides user-authorized access to valuable employment and income data from HR, payroll, commerce, and marketplace platforms through a single API. Banks, fintechs, recruitment agencies, and other service providers can leverage employment and income data to increase adoption and conversion, reduce cost, and risk. Permission to access their own personal data is given by each individual user, to enable seamless data sharing with trusted parties. https://www.getsmileapi.com

- MANILA, Philippines (June 9, 2022) -- Smile API, the leading information infrastructure startup company in the Philippines focused on employment and finance data, has once again raised significant funding concluded by its new investor Afore Capital, a $300 million US-based venture firm focused on pre-seed startup investing. It was the second seed round for Smile since its founding in April of last year with CreditEase, and Plug and Play as investors. Figures of the latest pre-Series A round is not disclosed. Anamitra Banerji, Managing Partner at Afore Capital, said they invested in Smile because of the progress the startup has made in a short span of time pertaining to its Application Programming Interface (API), a first of its kind digital platform in the Asia Pacific (APAC) Region that enables wider financial inclusion by serving as a bridge between the public and financial institutions in terms of finance data or source of income data. Smile's major focus at present is on employment data of casual employees, freelancers including gig workers. Banerji pointed out that one of the main challenges in the local market in Southeast Asia is data, like banking and finance data, which lenders require lendees to provide before making credit decisions. Smile bridges this gap by enabling people to get and make use of their employment data. "Financial inclusion is the first step in being fully open to all the possibilities that life has to offer. You have to have financial security and must take risks. But you can't take risks because no one is willing to lend you," Banerji noted. Besides employment data, Smile's digital platform also allows e-wallets, loans, insurances, digital bank accounts and many more applications to become available through a simple but clear white labeled interface within the client application using the Smile API infrastructure, all while keeping the end user in full control of what data is shared and with whom. The Afore executive shared they are excited to work with Smile API because of the opportunity that it offers to a lot of Filipinos and folks across Southeast Asia. "Smile API really empowers a lot of developers, fintech, Insurtech and a whole host of other services that are oriented towards financial inclusion. But providing employment data history in API format makes it very easy for Fintechs to build around and ultimately offer lending and credit products," Banerji added. Smile API CEO Jerome Eger, along with Smile Chief Product Officer Jan Alvin Pabellon, likewise announced the company has expanded its coverage to 40 million Filipinos -- basically anyone who is employed whether they are a gig worker or salaried employee. Smile's two new customers include local B2B logistics provider Tarana.ph, and fintech startup Plentina. Smile Employee Survey Smile also announced a partnership with Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, Inc. (TWHI), where it will donate Php50 for every answered survey. TWHI is a non-stock, non-government organization, providing services to persons with disabilities (PWD). The survey can be found at https://getsmileapi.com/employee-survey About Us Smile Technology Pte Ltd is one trusted source for employment data in Asia. Smile provides user-authorized access to valuable employment and income data from HR, payroll, commerce, and marketplace platforms through a single API. Banks, fintechs, recruitment agencies, and other service providers

- MANILA, Philippines (June 9, 2022) -- Fourteen million Filipinos still do not have adequate access to formal credit with five out of 10 having no requirements. This is the current state of financial inclusion in the Philippines today, as shared in a recent media forum. This is the problem that companies such as Smile API and movements such as Digital Pilipinas are working tirelessly to address. “At Smile API, we believe that access to your own data is a basic right,” shared Smile API CEO Jerome Eger. “We serve as a bridge between you and your financial goals. Because if you have no data, you are excluded from a lot of services that ensure livelihood and improve quality of life which are important for our daily ins and outs. Three out of ten Filipinos don’t get access to credit or financial services at all.” At the recent webinar “Let your Data Work for You”, co-organizer Smile API Chief Product Officer Jan Pabellon shared that their service now covers 40 million Filipinos, consisting of 25 million salaried employees, 11.7 million self-employed individuals, and 4.1 million government employees. This represents one of the major developments in the country’s march towards an era of Open Finance and unprecedented financial inclusion. Wide AND deep But the wide coverage is only one measure of how effectively Smile API can deliver its unique service, another is the depth of the data that is available. Although Smile API’s network is already extensive, they are still looking for and reaching out to various online platforms and institutions to provide even more comprehensive data. Smile API is also interested in the end user side of the process, and will be running a 3 month survey on various online platforms. The regional app developer will be donating 50 pesos per completed online survey to Tahanang Walang Hagdanan (TWH), Smile API’s chosen NGO partner for the company’s CSR efforts. Jan Pabellon shared that TWH was selected because its mission of inclusion intersects with Smile API’s own values. TWH Administrative Manager Ramon Apilado was on hand to talk about TWH and the many efforts of his well established NGO, that is dedicated to uplifting the lives of Filipinos with orthopedic disabilities. “We may be persons with disabilities but we can do jobs other people can’t do, you just have to give us the opportunity and we can do the job well,” shared Apilado. “We are thankful to Smile API for choosing our organization TWH to be one of their partners, and we are very happy because for very completed survey, 50 pesos will be donated to our organization,” he concluded. To access the survey, go to: getsmileapi.com/employee-survey. Data ownership for jobs and loans Open Finance enables financial data like credit standing, savings, and loans, to be shared with qualified, secure third-party providers. It enables customers to have greater control over their data and access to financial tools, while providing businesses information they need for better decision-making. Championing its growth in the country are Smile API, which provides real-time user-authorized access to recent, verified nand comprehensive employment data, and webinar co-organizer Digital Pilipinas, the largest private sector-led movement to tech up the Philippines. Another advantage of Smile API is the reduction of recruitment processing time. ”Prior to Smile API, 20,000 applications used to take weeks to process; it