Moving Beyond the Post-Split Turmoil! Guo Tian-Gui Takes Helm at iPASS, Unveils Two Key Strategies Leveraging 'Public-Private Partnership Experience'

Guo Tian-Gui, former Secretary-General of the Kaohsiung City Government, has demonstrated remarkable momentum just four days after assuming the chairmanship of iPASS Corporation, scheduling up to five meetings in a single day. Today (14th), he traveled north from Kaohsiung to meet with media, publicly unveiling iPASS’s future development strategy and operational vision for the first time.

Facing operational transformation following its separation from LINE Pay, Guo declared two major strategies: 'precision marketing' and 'startup ecosystem,' aiming to further strengthen the second-generation social welfare card (Social Welfare 2.0 Card) and expand into diverse lifestyle domains. Latest data shows that iPASS’s electronic payment agency collection and disbursement volume surged back to NT$2.37 billion in July, demonstrating resilient growth after independent operations.

With a comprehensive background, Guo previously served as Director-General of the Maritime and Port Bureau, CEO of Taiwan Ports Corporation, Chairman of Kaohsiung Harbor Land Development Company, and Deputy Director of Kaohsiung City Cultural Affairs Bureau. In today’s interview, Guo shared that he began his career at Ago Garden, managing R&D and engineering departments, and has long been responsible for organizational coordination, budget planning, and collaboration with private enterprises—including operating the Pier-2 Art District and concert economy projects—giving him deep familiarity with marketing and market research. He plans to seamlessly transfer these experiences to iPASS.

Regarding the relatively high marketing expenses and subsidy strategies in the first half of the year, Guo noted that iPASS now has over 7.25 million members, nearly 4 million app downloads, and close to 2 million monthly active users. Since taking office, he advocates 'precision marketing,' conducting a full review of marketing budgets to focus on boosting user engagement—such as bill payments, spending, and lifestyle domain usage—while flexibly adjusting underperforming campaigns to allocate resources more effectively.

On the progress of capital increase, which has drawn public attention, Guo stated that the process is proceeding very smoothly, with a public announcement expected by year-end, and confirmed that no external new shareholders will be involved.

Looking ahead, he emphasized continued deepening of government policy alignment and expansion of the startup ecosystem. For prepaid card services, beyond its existing strengths in transportation, iPASS will actively respond to government initiatives—such as addressing super-aging society needs—by promoting the 'Social Welfare 2.0 Card,' integrating functions like commuting, hospital visits, and daily shopping, enabling seniors to easily manage and check their account balances via the app.

Additionally, iPASS is collaborating with green mobility partners, aiming to expand ticket validation hardware to 100,000 units, thereby enhancing coverage across daily life scenarios.

In the electronic payment sector, iPASS will actively partner with cross-industry collaborators such as Yingyuan Technology, Flexii, WeMo Scooters, and Synology Information to break past perceptions limited to transportation use. Through innovative services, it aims to significantly boost transaction values and volumes.

iPASS’s improved financial performance in the first half—marked by narrowing losses—is attributed to the strong rebound in electronic payment transactions, which surged to NT$2.37 billion in July.

Recently, iPASS released its first-half financial report. CEO Cheng Kai-Yin explained that losses were significantly reduced, primarily due to robust performance in the ticketing business, which far exceeded expectations and successfully offset costs related to independent operations and marketing investments following the split from LINE Pay. He stressed that the loss reduction was not achieved by cutting resources; instead, with full board support, iPASS adopted an aggressive expansion strategy this year, increasing marketing investments in electronic payments and its ecosystem.

Regarding fluctuations in agency collection volume during the early phase of independent operations, Cheng noted that while the highest monthly transaction volume during the LINE Pay partnership was approximately NT$4.1 billion, the company experienced an adjustment period after separation. However, within less than half a year of independent operations, performance has rapidly recovered.

According to the latest statistics, the number of iPASS electronic payment users rose to 7,253,660 in July. In terms of transaction volume (agency collection), it increased significantly from approximately NT$1.83 billion in June to about NT$2.37 billion in July—an increase of nearly NT$540 million in a single month—recovering to over half of its previous peak levels, demonstrating exceptional resilience.