It’s 2024 and Gcash now offers direct trading of individual company stocks on the Philippine Stock Exchange. You can now buy and sell stocks using your GCash app, with its partnership with AB Capital. This feature allows the average Filipino with a smartphone and an internet connection to participate in the market.
Disclaimer: In this article, we will talk about how you can buy and sell stocks using the GCash app. Before you go on though, be mindful that investing in the stock market comes with risks. You may lose a big chunk of your money if the value of your investment goes down.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about how you start investing money into GCash PH Gstock.
Step 1: Create a GCash Account and get it verified
First, you will need a fully verified GCash account, ideally with funds already added to your wallet. Because GCash is a financial app, it needs to comply with the KYC (Know your customer) requirements of the Banko Central. To get your account verified, you will need to send them a picture of a valid ID and give them a selfie. All of this is done through the app when you sign up.
Step 2: Register for GStocks and wait for approval
With your app verified, it’s time to register for GCash PH GStocks. This is the part of your GCash App that allows you to trade in the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).
In your GCash app, follow these steps:
Home Screen > View All Services > GStock PH (Scroll down to the Grow Section) > Select your Broker: AB Capital
View All Services
Choose GStock PH
Select your Broker
After registering with AB Capital, you will receive an email confirming your registration. It will take a few days before the registration is approved. Mine took four days from registration to approval.
Step 3: Load your GCash and your trading account
If you haven’t done so already, you may want to add funds to your GCash wallet. You will be able to move funds from your GCash wallet to your AB Capital account all from your GCash app. Once the cash has been transferred from your GCash to your AB Capital trading account, you should be able to start buying and selling stocks.
Step 4: Go to GStocks and tap on the Buy/Sell Button
Now that you are registered and you have funds in your GStock PH trading account, you can start buying stocks. You can do this by going to your GStock PH account. After choosing your broker, GCash will now redirect you to the AB Capital account.
Here, you will see your portfolio value. This number is the combination of your cash position and the value of the equities you are holding. This value goes up and down depending on the movement of prices on the market.
Below it, you should see an option to buy/sell stocks. Click on it to start buying stocks.
Step 5: Choose the company stock you want to buy and click Buy
After clicking the buy/sell button, you should see a list of stocks on your screen. By default, GStocks shows you the top 30 stocks also known as the Philippine Stock Exchange Index or PSEI for short.
If you want to find stocks not included in the PSEI, you may want to click on the three lines at the upper left corner of the screen.
In the options, choose Board Lot Stocks, and then scroll through the list of stocks listed in alphabetical order.
You can also use the search feature of the app on the lower right corner of the screen. Just search for the name of the company or the ticker symbol.
Please note to choose the board lot version of the company.
In this example, you should choose AGI.XPSE because that is the Board Lot version of AGI. The AGI.OD.XPSE option is for people who want to sell using Odd Lot.
When you click on a stock on the list, you should be directed to the page of the company stock, where you have the option to buy and sell. Click on Buy if you think that the price is good enough to buy.
Step 6: Set the number of shares and share price, click on preview buy order
On the next page, you should see the buying screen. Here, you will be able to adjust the number of shares and the share price. Note that your total transaction price or Total Order Value is equal to the Price per Share x # of Shares + Fees.
The fees can be seen at the bottom of your screen. It adjusts according to the transaction amount.
If you are satisfied, you should proceed with the Preview Buy Order button. On the next page, you should see a summary of your order where you can ultimately place your order.
When you place your order, you haven’t bought anything yet. The order is still pending until the share price reaches the price that you’ve set. The order will remain active until it is completed or until you cancel it.
Note, however, that your order value will be deducted from your buying power to reserve it for your transaction.