How Gen Z Filipinos are starting their stock market journey

More young Filipinos are getting deliberate about their financial futures—and increasingly, that means putting money into the stock market.

Courtesy: GCash

How young Filipinos are starting to invest in stocks

A growing number of young Filipinos are focused on achieving financial stability for themselves and their families as they build their careers and plan for the future.

That growing focus on long-term financial security is one factor behind the broader rise in investing among Filipinos, including stock market participation.

For 25-year-old Reine, a sales agent from Laguna, financial stability is the priority. For Jake, a Gen Z analyst from Muntinlupa, it's a way to provide more for his family — which has meant looking for additional ways to diversify his income. Both found their way into the stock market through GCash.

Reine opened a stock market account last year through GStocks PH, the trading platform offered by AB Capital Securities Inc. inside the GCash app. She started with just PHP 1,000, aiming to diversify her income. Investing, she said, doesn't need to be complicated or expensive once you understand the digital platforms available.

Jake took a different route in. He began his wealth-building journey through GSave, GCash's high-interest digital savings feature, before eventually trying GStocks PH. What made the switch easy for him, he said, was the simple sign-up process.

Digitalization has helped broaden participation in the Philippine capital markets by making market information, investor education, and trading platforms more accessible. Online educational resources, investing-focused content creators, and the growing number of digital brokerages and mobile investment platforms have lowered traditional barriers to entry, paired with simpler onboarding requirements.

A study by researchers from the Ateneo de Manila University, involving more than 170 Gen Z employees, found that young Filipinos are focusing their efforts on "securing their future through savings and investments." Platforms like GStocks PH feed into that shift, letting younger investors start with incremental amounts and build their portfolios without having to coordinate with a separate broker.

The numbers back up the trend: stock market accounts rose 27.3% year-on-year to 3.64 million in 2025, with 3.61 million held by retail investors, according to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). Online accounts grew 30.5 percent to 3.23 million, while investors aged 18 to 28 made up 28.2 percent of total PSE accounts.

For fully verified GCash users, getting into GStocks PH takes a few steps:

1. Open the GCash app
2. Go to the Invest tab
3. Select GStocks PH
4. Complete registration with broker AB Capital Securities Inc.

Through GStocks PH, GCash is positioning itself as part of that shift, making it easier for Filipinos to learn about and participate in investing as they work toward long-term financial stability.

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