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 — The Philippines made another bold statement at the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) 2025 as FinTech Alliance.PH led the return of the Bagong Pilipinas Country Pavilion, showcasing the nation’s accelerating rise as a digital powerhouse. Held from November 12 to 14, the pavilion highlighted the Philippines’ most transformative milestones under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call to position the country as an innovation hub in Asia.
FinTech Alliance.PH — the country’s largest fintech trade group representing over 140 companies and powering 95 percent of retail digital financial transactions — once again served as the central force behind the pavilion. It gathered top Filipino innovators, government officials, and global partners to spotlight how far the Philippines has come in its digital finance journey.
As one of the world’s biggest fintech gatherings, the Singapore FinTech Festival offers unmatched visibility for emerging markets. For the Philippines, the event has become a strategic platform to present its digital progress, attract foreign investments, and strengthen cross-border collaboration. Over the past three years, FinTech Alliance.PH, in partnership with the Philippine government, has consistently used the SFF stage to rally global support and showcase Filipino-led innovation.
In last year’s installment, the pavilion drew international attention when it hosted Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health. She notably pointed to the Philippines as a global benchmark for financial health initiatives — a recognition that elevated the country’s profile in the fintech community.
FinTech Alliance.PH Founding Chairman and RCBC Executive Vice President Lito Villanueva underscored that the strong public-private partnership with the Philippine government continues to fuel momentum toward a more inclusive, tech-driven economy.
“We are grateful for the government’s unwavering support in advancing our shared vision of a sustainable digital society,” Villanueva said. “Events like the Singapore FinTech Festival allow us to refine our national blueprint, form new alliances, and strengthen our position as a rising innovation hub in the region.”
He added that the Philippines’ expanding global presence signals a new chapter for the digital finance landscape. “We are stepping into the world stage with confidence — showcasing our innovations, forging new collaborations, and accelerating the shift toward a fully digital lifestyle. The Philippines is emerging as a tiger economy in fintech.”
Day 1 of the pavilion kicked off with Villanueva welcoming delegates and partners, followed by messages from Sopnendu Mohanty, Co-Founder & Group CEO of Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), and Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Medardo G. Macaraig.
The country’s participation in SFF builds on Villanueva’s earlier push at the Manila Tech Summit — attended by President Marcos — to adopt a comprehensive “4T Framework” for the digital economy: Tech for Good, Tech for Growth, Tech for All, and Tech for Trust. He also reiterated the Alliance’s ambitious 80×80 vision: onboarding 80 percent of Filipino adults into the digital financial system and digitizing 80 percent of retail transactions by 2028.
This year’s Bagong Pilipinas Pavilion is co-presented by GCash and Maya, with the support of Land Bank of the Philippines, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Social Security System, Department of Information and Communications Technology, RCBC, FinScore, Actico, TrustDecision, Hungry Workhorse, and Eco Global Consulting.
The initiative is made possible through the collaboration of key government agencies including the Office of the President, Department of Finance, Securities and Exchange Commission, National Development Company, Department of Trade and Industry, Credit Information Corporation, Insurance Commission, and the Department of Budget and Management.
With a stronger presence, bigger delegation, and a renewed push for global partnerships, the Philippines’ participation in this year’s Singapore FinTech Festival signals one thing: the country is no longer just catching up — it is stepping forward as a serious contender in the global digital finance arena.
