UnionDigital Bank recruits popular YouTuber couple for mid-year budgeting push

UnionDigital Bank (UD) is encouraging Filipinos to reassess their finances midway through the year by drawing on the financial journey of content creators Cong TV and Viy Cortez in a new campaign centred on practical budgeting and saving habits.

The campaign, titled "Usapang diskarte: A 'kaya mo' mindset for your mid-year budget reset", targets families and small business owners facing mounting expenses such as school fees, household bills and inflation in the second half of the year.

Combined, the creator couple has around 20 million YouTube subscribers. Positioning the pair's "Team Payaman" philosophy as a guide to financial resilience, the campaign highlights four key money management principles: distinguishing wants from needs, separating personal and business finances, building an emergency fund, and surrounding oneself with financially responsible peers.

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Cong TV reflected on how his family's priorities have changed since becoming parents.

"Back then, whenever I saw something nice, I'd want to buy it straight away, especially when we were just starting to earn money. Now that we have children, before I hit 'add to cart', I stop and think whether that money would be better spent on something the kids actually need, or simply put into our savings," he said.

Building on that message, UD encourages consumers to review their spending from the first half of the year, remove unnecessary subscriptions and automate savings by placing emergency funds in dedicated accounts.

The campaign also spotlights financial discipline among entrepreneurs, with Cortez discussing how she manages multiple business ventures while keeping household and business finances separate.

"Even though we're married, when it comes to business, we each keep track of our own budgets. It's difficult when you end up using the money meant to pay suppliers to cover the grocery shopping at home. Every peso should have its own purpose," she said.

UD links this advice to its digital banking services by encouraging side hustlers and small business owners to maintain separate accounts to better monitor cash flow and profitability.

The campaign further focuses on financial preparedness, with Cortez explaining how parenthood shifted her approach to money.

"It's a different kind of worry once you have children. You can no longer take a 'whatever happens, happens' approach when it comes to money. Before, I was fine with just having enough in my bank account, but now we need to have an emergency fund set aside for the family. There's a different kind of peace of mind when you know you have something to fall back on if your child gets sick or an emergency comes up," she added.

As part of the campaign, UD recommends that consumers aim to build an emergency fund equivalent to three to six months' worth of living expenses over the next six months.

The final pillar centres on the influence of social circles on financial behaviour, using Team Payaman's collaborative ethos to encourage conversations around budgeting and shared financial goals.

The initiative forms part of UD's broader positioning around its "Kaya Mo" brand platform, promoting digital banking tools designed to help Filipinos manage savings, budgeting and money transfers more conveniently through its mobile app.

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