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FinTech nation rising
The Philippine Star
|December 09, 2025
As 2025 draws to a close, it has become evident that Philippine fintech is no longer a promising experiment.
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It has matured into a foundational pillar of the nation’s financial system. What began as wallet-based inclusion and mobile centered transactions have grown into a full digital finance ecosystem shaping how millions of Filipinos live, transact, save, invest and access services.Digital payments reached historic levels with more than half of retail transactions now happening digitally. This shift is no longer about convenience or novelty. It reflects a permanent change in financial behavior across communities, sectors, age groups and income segments. The Philippines has entered a period where digital finance is no longer catching up. It is setting the agenda.
FinTech Alliance PH has been at the center of this transition. What began as a modest coalition is now the country’s most influential digital finance ecosystem, enabling the overwhelming majority of retail digital transactions nationwide. In 2025, the Alliance progressed from a convenor to an ecosystem architect that bridges regulators, banks, startups, global partners and emerging sectors critical to national development.
Some of the most defining milestones were the successful staging of the Manila Tech Summit and the Philippine Pavilion at the Singapore FinTech Festival. The pavilion became the single largest among all country exhibits and recorded the highest foot traffic and visitor interest throughout the event. For the first time, Philippine fintech stood prominently on the world stage.
What took place in Singapore marked a coming-of-age moment. The Philippines entered the international fintech conversation not as a follower but as an emerging regional leader.
This story is from the December 09, 2025 edition of The Philippine Star.
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