This is a pivotal time for Philippine brands who are seeking to transition or lead in e-commerce. Regardless of size and scale, they face a tremendous opportunity to reach new markets for significant growth at this point in time: the Philippines is the fastest-growing e-commerce market in Southeast Asia and the value of its digital…
Digital is increasingly becoming the name of the game. From television channels entering into the streaming service fight to daily broadsheets getting their own apps, more and more industries have realized that the new business battleground is our devices. As Forbes stated in 2021: “An entirely new game is being played. In this new game,…
What do micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) lifelines and the trajectory that the Department of Finance (DOF) wants to take have in common? The guests of the third and final leg of Inquirer Project Rebound’s MSMEs webinar series unanimously agree that both are anchored in financial technology (fintech). For MSMEs, the steady increase of…
“Boy, was that a wake up call.” Teddy Monroy, country representative for United Nations Industrial Development Organization, said this during the Inquirer Project Rebound’s webinar on ensuring the resiliency and sustainability of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with their recovery. This was in reference to the COVID-19 crisis, which truly exposed how MSMEs, despite…
A cashless society is one where cash is not the primary mode for financial transactions. Instead, transactions are settled electronically using credit or debit cards, mobile or online payment apps and even QR codes. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) considers cashless payments not only as an alternative to banking transactions, but also as a…
Three years ago, no country, government or central bank could have predicted the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our way of life and livelihoods. Its impact was keenly felt by everyone, particularly the vulnerable sectors of society. Nonetheless, the COVID-19 pandemic has also become a catalyst in bridging the divide between the unbanked…
One of the sectors greatly affected and influenced by the global COVID-19 crisis is without a doubt the financial industry. From the way we do transactions—shifting to virtual or digital processes and management because of the need to isolate and socially distance ourselves—down to the increased interest in digital assets like crypto, the pandemic has,…
Now that COVID-19 is nearly behind us, it is time to talk about recovery. How do we enable micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to recover? At the height of discussions and subsequent legislative work on stimulus plans, a lot of tribute was paid to MSMEs as the engine of employment, but the legislative and…
Though she hasn’t erupted in 70 years, Mt. Hibok-Hibok in Camiguin has been especially quiet lately. From March 2020 to November 2021, the Timpoong Hibok-Hibok Natural Monument hosted exactly zero visitors. “Mt. Hibok-Hibok was once a popular hiking destination, especially after Pinoy Mountaineer featured it in 2007. Climbers came daily because our volcano offers elements…
Tourism has yet to recover in Asia and the Pacific, but a few green shoots can help us understand how best to heal the sector. Even where the situation is improving, a slow recovery in tourism may have long-term impacts, including through business closures and delayed investment in physical infrastructure, such as hotels, restaurants, and…