CIMB Bank PH and Bench group of brands launch first of its kind partnership for 10M bank customers with CIMB Pay

introduces Ruru Madrid as the Bank’s new celebrity ambassador

CIMB Bank Philippines Chief Executive Officer Vijay Manoharan (rightmost) with Bench Vice President for Business Development Bryan Lim (leftmost) and CIMB Bank PH’s new celebrity ambassador Ruru Madrid (center).

Taguig City, Philippines – July 8, 2025 – CIMB Bank Philippines, hailed by The Asian Banker as the Best Digital Bank in the country, and homegrown fashion and retail powerhouse Bench, came together to celebrate a successful launch to its brand-new collaboration that brings rebates, rewards, ease, and security of digital payments to CIMB customers shopping at Bench retail outlets via CIMB Pay. 

 

CIMB Pay, the new QR PH-powered feature on the CIMB Mobile Banking App, makes digital payments more rewarding with rebates, the ability to track your expenses and make payments safer and more convenient. Bench Lifestyle App members who own a CIMB bank account will be eligible to earn a 10% cashback on their retail spend, plus up to 10 times Bench loyalty points for their purchase when they use CIMB Pay for their in-store purchases. 

 

This cashback and bonus loyalty points can be enjoyed at over 200 Bench branches nationwide with instant cashback fulfillment. Soon to come will be the extension of this unique program to other brands under Bench and Suyen Corporation, including their fashion, beauty, and home stores.

 

From left to right: Bench Vice President GM Jude Ong, Store Operations Manager Jefferson Cordero, Cashier Manager Roma Ancot, Data Scientist Angel Lyn Tible, Vice President for Marketing Kristine Anne Lim, Vice President for Business Development Bryan Lim, CIMB Bank PH Chief Executive Officer Vijay Manoharan, Chief Innovation, Digital, and Operations Officer Shereen Michelle Vallauthan, Chief Internal Auditor Jim John Quilantang, Chief Marketing Officer D’Artagnan Aguilar, Chief Customer Experience Officer Nona Depositar, Office of the CEO Vice President Rachel Heah, and Head of Consumer Business Jonathan Lee. 

CIMB Pay also allows customers to transact at over one million POS merchants nationwide as well as transfer funds to contacts safely and pay bills with zero fees all easily accessible via the CIMB Bank PH Mobile app. 

 

The ongoing partnership was celebrated at a special event held at the Bench flagship store in Bonifacio Global City. It was headlined by Vijay Manoharan, CEO of CIMB Bank Philippines.

 

Manoharan spoke about the Bank’s continued efforts to make digital banking more rewarding and relevant to Filipinos' everyday lives. “At CIMB, we believe banking should not only be simple and accessible—it should also be rewarding and in turn bring greater value to our customers. In the past 7 years, we have been good at helping our customers save and get a loan. Now we want to help our customers come to us for their day-to-day transactional needs and for their everyday spending. And we believe we are able to do that with Bench. This partnership is poised for success because it is able to offer both our customers a convenient and rewarding way to pay and enjoy greater value,” he said.

 

Bryan Lim, Vice President for Business Development at Bench, meanwhile, expressed excitement over the collaboration and what it brings to Bench’s loyal community. “This partnership goes beyond fashion—it’s about giving our customers experiences they’ll love, and benefits they’ll feel immediately. Together with CIMB, we’re delivering something truly special.”

 

CIMB also took this opportunity to introduce a fresh face to the brand: actor and businessman Ruru Madrid. Known for his entrepreneurial mindset and raw acting talent behind hits such as the TV series Lolong and the movie Green Bones for which he won a Best Supporting Actor trophy, Ruru has earned the trust of the who’s who of show business, and more importantly he has earned the trust of countless fans through his personal story of hard work and success. He has become a true role model for his generation: responsible, righteous, and purposeful; and he truly is befitting of the brand ambassador role that CIMB has bestowed upon him.

 

“CIMB Bank stood out to me because it’s not just about promoting a brand, it’s about a purpose,” said Ruru in an interview. “They’re focused on helping everyday Filipinos build a better future so they can live their purpose. That mission really spoke to me… and I want to be part of that positive change. As someone na nakaranas din ng challenges growing up, alam ko yung halaga ng may tumutulong sayo. And CIMB is like that, tumutulong sa ordinary Filipino na magkaroon ng access to a bank para makapag-start ng buhay na sagana.”

 

To know more about the ongoing CIMB Pay promo with Bench, check out https://www.cimbbank.com.ph/en/promotions/deals/cimb-bench-cashback-loyalty-points.html.


#Business