While Rakuten Viber may be a small player in Japan, its popularity has soared in the Philippines, where it has become one of the country's most popular messaging apps, making the southeast Asian nation a prime launching pad for new features along the path to becoming a "super app."
The Japanese-owned cross-platform app's strong presence in the Philippines — where it has a user penetration of 71% — can be attributed to the country's cultural dynamics that see a significant number of Filipinos seeking job opportunities abroad, according to Viber CEO Ofir Eyal.
"The Philippines, often dubbed the 'text capital of the world,' boasts a deep-rooted culture of text communication that smoothly transitioned to Viber. This shift solidified Viber as a primary means of connecting with friends and family, even those residing overseas," said Eyal.