𝐆𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐡 “𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭” 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐒𝐏 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨

 𝐆𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐡 “𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭” 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐒𝐏 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨

𝘗𝘏’𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘱𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩

IAS Day 1: Discussions during Day 1 of the Inclusion in Action Summit 2024 revolved around Financial Inclusion, Health and Literacy, conducted by key officials from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas: Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Financial Inclusion Office Acting Director Mynard Bryan Mojica, and Economic and Financial Learning Office Director Marianne Santos.  

MANILA, Philippines, XX August 2024 – GCash, the Philippines’ leading finance super app and largest cashless ecosystem, recently hosted its first Inclusion in Action Summit, featuring the company’s key stakeholders, which include key government agencies such as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Department of Finance (DOF), and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), as well as multilateral organizations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). The Inclusion in Action Summit served as a platform for GCash to collaborate with its key stakeholders and reinforce its commitment toward obtaining Finance for All, a collective vision and shared journey of building an inclusive Philippines, wherein every Filipino has access to tools and services that will enable them to unlock opportunities and achieve financial goals.

“GCash is committed to helping Filipinos thrive every day, be ready for a rainy day, and be prepared for one day,” stated GCash President and CEO Martha Sazon. “The Inclusion in Action Summit allows us to have a deeper understanding of the nuances that underserved Filipinos face, so that we are able to harness inclusive finance for economic development and the success of every Filipino.”

IAS Day 2: The second day of the Summit focused on understanding the priority sectors with speakers: GoodThinking Research Inc. Interim Managing Partner Issa Baron, Southeast Asia Lead for United Nations Capital Development Fund Isvary Sivalingam, and Asia Development Bank’s Principal Investment Specialist Microfinance Program Anshukant Taneja.  

The Inclusion in Action Summit builds on the strides that GCash has made in the last few years to move the needle on financial inclusion, a priority area in the company’s sustainability journey, and empower every Filipino to have access to financial services through the GCash app.

“Financial inclusion and digitalization are mutually reinforcing goals,” stated Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), who also shared that nearly 53% of the total volume of retail payments are now done digitally and that 120 local governments have adopted the BSP’s Paleng-QR Ph Plus program, which promotes the widespread acceptance of digital payments among market vendors, community shopkeepers, and tricycle operators and drivers. GCash is a major partner of the Paleng-QR Ph Plus program.

IAS Day 3: Day 3 of the Summit tackled how Fintech can help fuel the National Economy through guest speakers: Department of Finance Chief Economic Counselor Undersecretary Domini Velasquez, Department of Trade and Industry Financing Head Lourdes Baula, and National Economic and Development Authority Senior Economic Development Specials David Carlo Mangalindan.  

“As more people embrace digitalization, we also expect Filipinos with a transaction account to increase. Based on the preliminary household data of the second quarter of 2024, the percentage of households with transaction accounts rose to 76% from 69%,” she added.

Mynard Bryan Mojica, Acting Director of the BSP’s Financial Inclusion Office, further underscored the role that digitalization plays in financial inclusion, pointing out that initiatives like the Paleng-QR Ph Plus and the Basic Deposit Account, would not be made possible without digital enablers that include digital IDs, digital skills, digital finance regulatory frameworks, and digital connectivity that underpins all these.

Deputy Governor Romulo-Puyat further explained that every 1% increase in digital payments is associated with 0.1% GDP increase and 0.06% reduction in informal employment over two years.

She continued, “When individuals are financially healthy, they are able to meet obligations, recover from financial shocks, and feel secure about their future—so we’re talking about every day, rainy day, and one day. This highlights the importance of digital payments and financial inclusion, which are crucial in providing the financial state of every Filipino. When they are digitized, they have access to savings, insurance, loans that don’t need collateral—all these can improve their lives. However, having a transaction account is only the beginning, that’s why I’m glad we’re now moving to the next step, which is financial health.”

Financial health addresses the concerns of many Filipinos, which include managing monthly budgets, medical expenses, and securing retirement funds.

Financial institutions and key players in the industry such as GCash have an important role to play in promoting financial health.

“Financial health can be promoted by developing products and services that allow consumers to spend wisely, build savings, borrow responsibly, and plan for the future,” Mojica explained.

The focus to promote financial health for every Filipino is a crucial initiative in view of sustaining the country’s economic growth momentum, which is underpinned by strong domestic demand. According to the Department of Finance, the digital economy is a driving force to the country’s growth, with an 8.4% share of the GDP—further underscoring the role of digital tools and channels in attaining financial health.

IAS Day 4: The Summit concluded with a series of talks on revolutionizing the workplace with guest speakers: Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment Executive Director Julia Abad, Philippine Financial Inter-Industry Pride Trustee Chris Eugenio, and National Council on Disability Affaris Division Chief Atty. Rhealeth Krizelle Ramos.

More importantly, promoting financial inclusion as a means to attain financial health aligns with AmBisyon Natin 2040, the Philippine government’s long-term vision for the country, which also serves as anchor for development planning across various administrations.

“We know that all Filipinos want to enjoy strong family and community ties, a comfortable lifestyle, and a secure future. GCash has made strides in ensuring that most Filipinos have access to finance, and we are cognizant that our mission does not stop there. We envision a nation where all Filipinos can thrive every day, be ready for a rainy day, and have the capacity to prepare for one day—this is our north star in ensuring greater access and more responsive and innovative financial services for Filipinos. We remain committed to ensuring that financial inclusion opens opportunities for every Filipino to address their needs and goals,” Sazon stated.

The four-day Inclusion in Action Summit featured GCash’s partners from the government, multilateral organizations, and the industry, including the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Department of Finance (DOF), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Trade and Industry’s Small Business Corporation (DTI SBCorp), Asian Development Bank (ADB), GoodThinking Research, and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). The summit also explored what it means to have an inclusive workplace and workforce, featuring partners from the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment, Philippine Financial Inter-Industry Pride, and National Council on Disability Affairs, and was attended by GCash’s employees, affiliates, and suppliers.

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𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐆𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐡

GCash is the Philippines’ #1 Finance Super App and Largest Cashless Ecosystem. Through the GCash App, users can easily purchase prepaid airtime; pay bills via partner billers nationwide; send and receive money anywhere in the Philippines, even to other bank accounts; purchase from over 6 million partner merchants and social sellers; and get access to savings, credit, loans, insurance and invest money, and so much more, all at the convenience of their smartphones. GCash’s mobile wallet operations are handled by G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mynt, the first and only duacorn in the Philippines.

GCash is a staunch supporter of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly UN SDGs 5,8,10, and 13, which focus on safety & security, financial inclusion, diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, respectively.

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