Officials from FinTech Alliance.PH, government agencies, and partner institutions join the ribbon-cutting at the Bagong Pilipinas Country Pavilion during the 10th anniversary of the Singapore FinTech Festival 2025, showcasing the Philippines’ digital finance excellence and innovation. This was led by Lito Villanueva, founding chairman of the FinTech Alliance Ph and executive vice president and chief innovation and inclusion officer of RCBC, Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Medardo Macaraig, Global Finance and Technology Network co-foudner and Group CEO Sopnendu Mohanty, Voyager President Shailesh Baidwan, water.org regional director Gay Santos, Credit Information Corporation President Ben Baltazar, UNO Digital Bank President Manish Bhai, Home Credit Executive Director and Chief Business Development officer Zdenek Jankovsky, GCash/Mynt General Manager of B2B Jong Layug, GCash/Mynt Chief Technology and Operations Officer Pebbles Sy and FinTech Alliance Trustee Martha Borja.
Singapore — With President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s directive to propel the Philippines into an innovation-powered future, FinTech Alliance.PH made a strong return to the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) 2025, once again taking the helm of the dynamic “Bagong Pilipinas” Country Pavilion from November 12 to 14.
FinTech Alliance.PH—representing over 140 companies and powering 95 percent of the country’s retail digital financial transactions—brought together top Philippine innovators, government leaders, and industry trailblazers to showcase the nation’s sweeping digital gains over the past year. Its presence at SFF, the world’s largest fintech gathering, marked another major push to position the Philippines as a rising force in global digital finance.
For three consecutive years, the Alliance has partnered closely with the national government to build and host the pavilion, a collaborative effort designed to highlight the Philippines’ rapid strides in fintech, financial inclusion, and digital transformation. Last year’s pavilion even drew Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, the UN’s Special Advocate for Financial Health, who encouraged global associations to look to the Philippines as a model for measuring financial well-being.
Founding Chairman of FinTech Alliance.PH and RCBC Executive Vice President Lito Villanueva thanked the government for its continued trust and long-running partnership, calling the collaboration key to realizing the shared vision of a tech-forward, innovation-driven nation.
“We are grateful for the government’s steadfast support as we work together to build a sustainable digital society,” Villanueva said. “Events like SFF help us update our playbook, form new alliances, and take decisive steps toward making the Philippines a true global innovation hub.”
He added that the Philippines’ growing presence at SFF signals a turning point for the country’s digital finance movement. “We are not only opening doors for international partners—we are stepping confidently onto the global stage. With the milestones, innovations, and partnerships forged here, the Philippines is shaping its identity as a rising tiger in digital finance.”
The pavilion’s opening program featured welcome remarks from Villanueva, followed by keynote messages from Sopnendu Mohanty, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Global Finance & Technology Network, and Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Medardo G. Macaraig. Their presence underscored the deepening international support for the Philippines’ digital acceleration agenda.
This year’s participation also reinforces Villanueva’s earlier commitment at the Manila Tech Summit—where President Marcos served as keynote speaker—to advance the “4T Framework” for the country’s digital future: Tech for Good, Tech for Growth, Tech for All, and Tech for Trust. Villanueva also highlighted his ambitious 80×80 vision: onboarding 80 percent of adult Filipinos to digital transactional accounts and digitizing 80 percent of retail payments by 2028.
The 2025 Bagong Pilipinas Country Pavilion is co-presented by GCash and Maya, with support from Land Bank of the Philippines, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, SSS, DICT, RCBC, FinScore, Actico, TrustDecision, Hungry Workhorse, and Eco Global Consulting. The initiative is strengthened through partnerships with major government agencies including the Office of the President, Department of Finance, Securities and Exchange Commission, National Development Company, DTI, CIC, Insurance Commission, and DBM.
With each passing year, the Philippines’ footprint at the Singapore FinTech Festival grows bolder—cementing its place in the global fintech map and advancing the nation’s journey toward a more innovative, inclusive, and future-ready digital economy.
