BPI mobile app back up after extended outage caused by ‘connectivity issues’

BANK of the Philippine Islands (BPI) said on Tuesday that it has restored access to its mobile banking app after an over 24-hour outage that it blamed on network issues.

The bank said in a statement that as of 3 p.m. on Tuesday, access to the BPI mobile app has been restored, although some functions remain unavailable and will be resumed gradually as it continues to stabilize its system.

It first reported the downtime in an advisory on Sunday afternoon.

“The recent service disruption that affected BPI’s mobile and online banking channels is due to network connectivity issues,” it said. “At present, clients may experience slower response times due to elevated transaction volumes as access to services in the mobile app is progressively re-established.”

“To support system stability, certain functionalities are temporarily unavailable, while core services such as account viewing and transaction history remain accessible. Transaction capabilities are being restored in a controlled and phased manner.”

It added that it is monitoring system performance and is working to fully normalize its services “as soon as conditions allow.”

BPI said the disruption was limited to its digital channels and branch services, automated teller machines, and in-store card purchase transactions remained fully operational.

It added that payroll credits to employee accounts were processed as scheduled.

“All client accounts, balances and personal information remain accurate and secure,” BPI said.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) requires financial institutions to immediately report major cyber-related incidents like outages, especially if these last for more than two hours and affect a significant number of customer accounts.

The BSP did not immediately respond when sought for comment.

BPI’s net income rose by 1.7% to P16.92 billion in the first quarter. Its shares dropped by P1.80 or 1.79% to close at P98.80 each on Tuesday. — Aaron Michael C. Sy