Maya crypto review: a beginner-friendly way to start with ₱1

Reviewed by the Crypto Philippines Editorial TeamUpdated September 28, 2026 · 9 min read

Maya crypto review: Maya is a good, beginner-friendly option for small amounts. It holds its own BSP virtual asset licence, lets you buy from ₱1, advertises “no transaction fees” and supports sending to outside wallets. The cost sits in an undisclosed spread, and Maya does not publish crypto limits. We score it 8.1/10.

Our Maya crypto guide already walks through buying, receiving and sending. This review asks a different question: should you use it, and for what? We based it on Maya’s crypto page, the BSP licence list and secondary reporting, all checked on 28 September 2026, and we did not run test trades. Where Maya does not say something, we say that too.

Our verdict

Maya scores 8.1 out of 10 in our ranking of the best crypto exchanges in the Philippines; the methodology page explains the weights. It earns its marks for a direct licence, for peso funding through the Maya Wallet and for a low barrier: one peso and an ID. It loses marks on cost clarity, because the spread is not published, and on limits, because the crypto page does not list them. Its coin count is also lower than GCrypto’s and well below a full exchange.

The short version: use Maya to learn, to invest pocket-money amounts and to receive an occasional stablecoin payment. Do not treat it as your main venue for large, frequent trading.

Licence: Maya holds its own

Maya Philippines, Inc. is on the BSP list of licensed VASPs (as of 15 July 2026) as a non-bank VASP, with its address at the 9th floor of the Launchpad Building, Reliance Street, Mandaluyong. Maya’s crypto page adds that both Maya Philippines, Inc. and Maya Bank, Inc. are regulated by the BSP. Maya Bank is a separate legal entity from the VASP.

This is a real difference from GCash, which runs crypto through a partner (see our GCash GCrypto review). It does not make Maya safer against price risk, and we do not treat it as a guarantee of anything beyond regulatory supervision. With only nine active licence holders and the BSP freezing new licences, it does make Maya one of the few wallets in a position to offer crypto in its own name. For the wider context see crypto regulations in the Philippines.

One detail from Maya’s page: crypto access needs your device location set to the Philippines. People outside the country see a “Crypto not available in your location” message unless they already hold balances. OFWs should keep that in mind.

Costs: “no transaction fees” and the spread

Maya’s crypto page says “no transaction fees” for people starting with ₱1. That is accurate as a description of fee lines. The price you trade at still includes Maya’s margin, and Maya does not publish it. Third-party sites say the same, and we could not find a figure.

Two other costs sit around the crypto. First, funding: Maya’s cash-in page says over-the-counter cash-in is free up to ₱8,000 a month and then carries a 2% convenience fee; bank transfers are the cheaper way in for larger sums. Second, getting out: the BSP’s summary of transfer fees (as of 31 August 2026) lists ₱10 for an InstaPay transfer from a Maya account and no PESONet option. Sending crypto to an outside wallet adds a network fee, which the app shows before you confirm.

To find the spread, compare the buy and sell price of the same coin in the app at the same moment and divide the gap by the buy price. We show the full method in the GCrypto review; it works identically here. Our fees and spreads guide puts the numbers side by side.

Tokens: about 33, with a caveat

Maya’s page names “major coins like BTC, ETH, SOL, QNT, and more” and gives no total. The most recent count we found is from BitPinas, which reported 33 tokens as of 18 February 2026, including USDC, USDT, PAXG, BNB, XRP, SUI, NEAR, OP, WIF, BONK and PEPE. That is a secondary source, and Maya’s own help centre did not load for us, so we could not confirm it. Some press snippets mention more than 50 coins; we could not reconcile the difference, so open the All Crypto list in the app for the current number.

Either way, the range is enough for the main coins and stablecoins and less than PDAX’s 73 or Coins.ph’s roughly 150.

Limits: the gap in Maya’s disclosure

Maya’s crypto page points to separate account-limit information rather than publishing crypto caps, so limits follow the level of your Maya account. We could not confirm a crypto-specific daily or monthly ceiling. For cash-in, Maya’s page gives a maximum of ₱100,000 for fully upgraded accounts. Before you plan anything above pocket money, open your account limits in the app and add up top-up, trade and cash-out room. GCrypto is clearer here: it publishes ₱100,000 a day for top-up and ₱100,000 a month for withdrawal (₱500,000 for GCash Plus).

Sending and receiving

Maya supports sending to and receiving from outside wallets, which puts it ahead of closed-loop apps. You choose the coin, then the blockchain network, and Maya generates a QR code and address for receiving. Because the app warns you to select the correct network, treat that as the main risk: USDT on the wrong chain may never arrive. Send a small test before any larger transfer, and never send crypto to someone who approached you with an investment offer; our crypto scams guide lists the patterns.

A five-step checklist before you rely on Maya

1. Confirm the licence yourself

   Open the BSP VASP list and find Maya Philippines, Inc. It takes a minute and is worth doing for any platform.

2. Measure the spread

   Note the buy and sell price of your coin at the same moment. If the gap is more than you would pay elsewhere, keep the amounts small.

3. Read your own account limits

   Maya does not publish crypto limits on the crypto page. Check what your account level allows for top-up, spending and cash-out.

4. Send a test to an outside address

   Move a few pesos worth of a coin to a wallet you control, on the right network, and confirm it arrives before trusting the route.

5. Price your exit

   Selling puts pesos in your Maya Wallet; an InstaPay transfer to a bank is ₱10, and cash-out points may have their own fees.

App rating

Maya’s iOS rating was 4.62 from about 235,000 ratings in the Philippine App Store on 28 September 2026. As with GCash, this is the rating of the whole app, not the crypto tab. It is high, which suggests the general experience is smooth, but it says nothing specific about crypto execution or support. By comparison, GCash was 3.05 and PDAX 3.67 on the same date; all three ratings are for the parent apps, so compare them cautiously.

Pros and cons

Maya vs GCrypto vs PDAX at a glance

GCrypto has the edge on disclosure and asset count; Maya has the edge on minimum and a direct licence. Neither publishes its spread. If you trade real size, read our PDAX review, where an order book and published cash-out fees give you more control.

Who should use Maya, and who should not

Maya suits someone who already has a verified Maya account, wants to try crypto with an amount they would not miss, and values having a regulated wallet close at hand. It also works for occasionally receiving a stablecoin from a client, provided you check the network.

It suits you less if you plan to trade often, need published limits, want a large coin menu or need to move sums in the hundreds of thousands. For those, use a licensed exchange, and if you want a card payment or a wider selection, a global platform such as CEX.IO can complement a local account. It is registered with FinCEN and the Bank of Spain but not BSP-licensed and has no peso rails; our CEX.IO review covers the trade-offs. Keep records of every buy and sell for tax purposes; see our crypto tax guide. To turn coins back into pesos, read how to sell crypto for cash.