DICT Chief Inducts Philippine Blockchain Council

Wazzup Pilipinas!?




The first Philippine Blockchain Week comes alive today as Secretary Ivan John Uy of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) speaks at the conference.

The inaugural event featured the biggest names in blockchain technology, cryptocurrency and Web 3 at Marriott Grand Ballroom, Newport World Resorts, Pasay City, Philippines.

As part of the Philippine Blockchain Week in Manila from November 28 to December 4, 2022, Secretary Uy led the induction rites of the newly created Blockchain Council of the Philippines.

Secretary Uy cited the commitment of DICT to continually unravel the potential of Filipinos, strengthening the commitments of both public and private sectors, and matching it with the right technologies, policies, and other enabling mechanisms to build a digital economy that our fellow Filipinos and international investors can trust.

Building the country’s digital economy is a significant step towards building a digitalized Philippines— a Philippines that has risen from poverty, a Philippines where everyone is connected, a Philippines that is built for the digital era. This is the dream that I share with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, said Secretary Uy. He is joined by DICT ICT Industry Development Undersecretary Jocelle Batapa-Sigue at the opening day.

Dr. Donald Lim, lead convenor of the event said, “The government plays a crucial role in our aim of promoting blockchain education in the country and highlighting the Philippines as the blockchain hub in Asia. We are very grateful for government's support to this endeavor as we bring the international business community’s attention to the Philippines.”

“It gives us a sense of pride to see the thought leaders and practitioners from the media, technology, and creative fields gathered for the first event of this kind here. We are thankful that they are taking the time to share their experiences and the advantages of Web3 technology to Filipinos. We strongly believe that the country can benefit from this technology, and we would be learning a lot from our distinguished panel of speakers,” said Dr. Lim, who will also give a talk today about “Philippines as the Blockchain Capital of Asia: Why the Philippines and Why Now

PLDT Enterprise Showcases the Limitless Potential of Artificial Intelligence at GO CEBU Grand Exp

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Vice President and Head for Enterprise Innovation, Business Development, Consulting, and Presales, Melvin Jeffrey Chan, presents during the Go Cebu Grand Expo and Exhibit

PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the largest fully integrated telco provider in the country PLDT, partnered with the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) to present this year’s Cebu Business Months (CBM) 2022. The CBM 2022 is a year-long series of events and programs that gather stakeholders from the private and public sectors in the areas of Entrepreneurship and ICT-BPM, among others.

Bannering the keynote panel at the GO CEBU Grand Expo and Exhibit, Vice President & Head of PLDT Enterprise Innovations, Business Development, Consulting & Presales, Melvin Jeffrey Chan, enlightened guests on the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it helps optimize business operations through technology.

According to Chan, AI benefits organizations with faster, data-driven decision-making, where “AI improves core processes by increasing both the speed and accuracy while being able to provide additional insights for strategic initiatives.”

Chan adds how AI has already helped transform many industries, without consumers being aware of it, such as aerospace and defense for drone navigation, AI-designed apparel, self-driving vehicles, smart robots, wearables, among others.

With the limitless potential of AI for businesses, it reduces human errors, increases efficiency in the workflow, and provides safer handling of hazardous tasks. It also lets AI handle mundane tasks whereas business owners can focus on their strategic business initiatives.

According to a recent study by GlobalData, AI will have a global market potential of US$135.8 billion and 14% CAGR by 2026. “It is going to be a catalyst for business and digital transformation, and the possibilities are going to be boundless,” adds Chan.

For those who would like to discuss more in the subject matter of AI or are interested in co-developing or co-innovating in the general technology spaces, Chan encouraged them to reach out to PLDT Enterprise.

This is the 26th CBM celebration hosted by the CCCI. This year’s theme is “GO Cebu!” with the tagline ‘Realign, Reinforce, and Rebuild’ anchored on the vision of generating beneficial results despite challenging times.


For more information, visit https://pldtenterprise.com/.

Coins.ph CEO Wei Zhou: Crypto Payments Will Usher in Financial Inclusion in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



Zhou told the attendees that crypto can unveil a new era of financial inclusion in the Philippines and make payments and remittances cheap and accessible for all.



Wei Zhou, CEO of Coins.ph, ("Coins" or the "Company"), the Philippines' leading digital asset wallet and crypto exchange platform, appeared on stage at the Law x Tech and Capital Summit held on Nov. 11, 2022, where he shared his vision for how crypto can anchor embedded finance and usher in a new era of financial inclusion in the Philippines and beyond.

The Law x Tech and Capital Summit attracted many of the top leaders in the legal and financial sectors as well as industry regulators from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Department of Information Communications & Technology, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. At the event, Zhou delivered a keynote speech on the emerging trends in blockchain, cryptocurrencies and digital assets. He delved into the rise of the Philippines as a global crypto hub and outlined the measures needed to take blockchain adoption to the next level.

“There are a lot of interesting trends emerging here in the Philippines. We have among the healthiest demographic trends in the world, the second-largest population in Southeast Asia, and are among the top 15 globally. We also have one of the largest English-speaking populations in the world. These are massive advantages for us and allow us to become not just followers in global tech trends but also step up to take a leadership position,” Zhou stated.

This surging crypto adoption puts the Philippines in a prime position to advance its goals of financial inclusion through crypto-powered embedded finance, Zhou told the audience. Crypto payments can complement mobile payments, which are already near-ubiquitous in the country.

The Philippines also ranks in the global top three for remittances, receiving over $30 billion in 2021. However, cross-border payments continue to be expensive, inaccessible and take several days. Coins has continued to set the pace in the remittances sector, a market that’s expected to grow an astonishing 620% by 2024. The Coins app allows users to send and receive both digital currencies and pesos instantly from everywhere across the globe at a low cost.

“Crypto can transform this sector, providing instant, affordable and secure remittances to every Filipino,” Zhou told the attendees.

Zhou further explained the importance of regulations for a nascent digital asset industry that’s still finding its feet. “Regulation is the most important topic for crypto over the next few years. This is because technology has run so far ahead, and adoption has followed, leaving regulators scrambling to catch up. I think here in the Philippines, we’re actually quite progressive. Our regulators have provided the two most important things - certainty and transparency. I think we can take a leadership position here in the Philippines and this is what I hope to do with Coins.”

About Coins.ph

Launched in 2014, Coins.ph is the most established crypto brand in the Philippines and has more than 16 million users. Through the easy-to-use mobile app, users can buy and sell a variety of cryptocurrencies and access a wide range of financial services. Coins.ph is fully regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and is the first crypto-based company in Asia to hold both Virtual Currency and Electronic Money Issuer licenses from the central bank. For further information, contact marketing@coins.ph.

For more information about Coins.ph, visit https://coins.ph and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.