PRESS RELEASE
TAGUIG CITY, PHILIPPINES – FinTech Alliance.PH, the country’s largest and most influential
organization of fintech unicorns, startups, and financial institutions, convened its 2nd Quarter
Digital Industry Caucus and Manila Tech Summit Media Launch on June 24, 2025 at The
Marquis Events Place in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
The event brought together key figures from the government, the diplomatic corps, and the
private sector. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier delivered
the keynote address, underscoring the urgency of establishing an industry-led fraud bureau to
help build a safer, more resilient digital economy. She emphasized that strong collaboration
between regulators and the private sector is vital in fighting fraud, building consumer trust, and driving financial inclusion.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier delivers the keynote address.
“Continuing engagement with industry players such as the Fintech Alliance is crucial in fostering
a shared understanding of risks, financial inclusion goals, and market conduct expectations.
Moreover, cooperation plays a critical role in enhancing the financial system’s cyber resilience
as it enables financial institutions to proactively identify, prevent and respond to emerging
persistent threats. The BSP will continue to support strategic partnerships among our key
stakeholders for the purpose of strengthening financial surveillance, obtaining feedback on
policy initiatives, and fostering dialogue,” Deputy Governor Fonacier said.
"On behalf of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, I commend Fintech Alliance PH and other partners
for this initiative and all stakeholders here today for taking bold steps towards a safer digital future,” DG Fonacier added.
During the caucus, FinTech Alliance PH also announced the submission of a white paper to
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda and
the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC), outlining a roadmap for the
proposed fraud bureau and positioning it as a shared responsibility of the entire digital ecosystem.
As part of its commitment to honor transformative leadership, FinTech Alliance PH conferred the
BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. FinTech Leadership Award to four exceptional individuals:
BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier; H.E. Laure Beaufils, British Ambassador to the
Philippines; H.E. Hae Kyong Yu PSM, FCPA, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines; and
H.E. Ilan Fluss, Ambassador of Israel. This prestigious award honors leaders who embody the
late Governor Espenilla’s legacy of inclusive innovation, regulatory disruption, and financial
empowerment for the underserved.
Tess Espenilla, the wife of the late BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla, congratulated the recipients
and lauded them for espousing the values that her late husband lived by and demonstrated
through public service.
"This award carries forward Nestor's vision of a future where innovation empowers inclusion and
no Filipino is left behind. Your work and leadership in financial technology upholds the values he
deeply believed in - integrity, innovation, and service to the underserved,” Espenilla shared.
The honorees expressed their gratitude to the Alliance for conferring the awards as a tribute to
the power of international collaboration, the promise of digital innovation, and the shared
commitment to uplifting lives through meaningful and forward-thinking change.
"To be recognized by an industry that you also regulate is something really sweet and special
because apart from the regulator and the regulated relationship, there is of course partnership
at the end. But I cannot lay claim to this award alone, same thing with when we tried to fight
cybercrime. No institution can do it alone,” Deputy Governor Fonacier said.
"When I arrived in the Philippines almost four years ago, we weren't doing that much work in the
fintech space. Four years down the line, we have done so much together on the strategic policy
side as well as on the commercial side… …We are so proud to be able to sign an alliance with
Fintech Alliance PH during UK Southeast Asia Fintech Week a few months ago,” Ambassador
Beaufils expressed.
"Our ambassador is personally invested in digital transformation in the Philippines. We
recognize the huge growth in digital transactions is powering the economy here that is opening
many opportunities. It is opening opportunities to Australian businesses to invest in the
Philippines and it is also delivering financial services to many millions of Filipinos who remain
unbanked,” Dr. Moya Collett, Deputy Head of Mission of the Australian Embassy, relayed
Australia’s commitment on behalf of Ambassador Yu.
"Over the past four years, my mission has been to build bridges of innovation, of technology,
and of shared purpose. Israel, as many of you know, is a start-up nation not by choice but by
necessity. In a land with limited water, surrounded by challenges, we had to innovate to survive.
From that struggle, we became a global hub for fintech, cybersecurity, agritech, and many more.
I am proud now that these capabilities support Filipino institutions,” Ambassador Ilan Fluss
shared in a message delivered by Villanueva.
The honorees of the BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. FinTech Leadership Award together with the Fintech Alliance PH.
The event also marked the onboarding of four new member institutions into the Alliance:
SnapWork Digital Technologies Pte. Ltd., TrustDecision Pte. Ltd., EmbedIT S.R.O., and Trusting
Social AI Philippines. Their addition reflects the Alliance’s growing momentum and unified vision
of bridging innovation and inclusion.
To cap the event, the theme of the 2025 Manila Tech Summit was officially revealed: “Forging a
New Global Order: Risks and Opportunities Redefined.” Set for August, the summit is expected
to convene over 1,300 stakeholders to discuss how the Philippines can lead amid global
volatility and opportunity. It also builds up toward the Philippines’ official participation in the Singapore FinTech Festival this November, where the country will mount a national pavilionunder the theme “Bagong Pilipinas.”
FinTech Alliance PH Founding Chairman Lito Villanueva closed with a call to action: “This is our moment. As the digital landscape evolves, so must we boldly and decisively. From tackling fraud to promoting regulatory reform and global collaboration, we are proving that the Philippines is not just catching up we’re stepping up to lead. Let’s move fast, build together, and show the world what a future-ready, inclusive digital economy looks like.”
“The Philippines is not just catching up—we’re stepping up to lead.” -Fintech Alliance PH Founding Chairman Lito Villanueva
The event was held in partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, with media collaboration
from ABS-CBN, BusinessWorld, Manila Bulletin, Merger Market, Inquirer, PhilStar, The Manila
Times, and TodayPH.
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About Fintech Alliance PH:
FinTech Alliance.Ph is the country’s first and most prominent digital industry association,
established in 2017, and now has over 130 corporate members driving more than 95% of retail digital financial transaction volume in the Philippines. For more information, visit
https://www.fintechalliance.