In a country where 99.5% of businesses account for the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector, providing fair access to sustainable lending and credit to more Filipino MSME owners and farmers is key to helping the country achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
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| Tony Isidro, President and CEO of Fuse Lending,Inc., the official lending arm of GCash, addresses the audience at the 2nd Philippine Climate Forum |
This was one of the main highlights during the 2nd Philippine Climate Forum by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) held at the Ayala Museum in Makati City in June. The forum aims to accelerate the promotion of green lending and climate investment opportunities in the country and raise awareness of sustainability initiatives across both the private and public sectors.
In one of the panel discussions titled “Promoting Green and Inclusive Growth in the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Sector in the Philippines,” Tony Isidro, President and CEO of Fuse Lending, the lending arm of GCash, bannered the financial inclusion story of the country’s number one finance super app.
He was one of the key speakers at the event, along with global and local key leaders from the SME Finance Forum, Sustainable Finance and Banking Network (SFBN), and IFC.
“At GCash, we address these challenges by leveraging digital, data modeling, and AI technology to facilitate access to fair credit and pave the way for sustainable growth. More importantly, what that means is that it translates into a totally frictionless experience where eligible merchants can avail of a loan with zero documents, no waiting time. All they have to do is log in to the app, tap its services, and get access to credit and loans,” said Fuse Lending president and CEO Tony Isidro.
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| Tony Isidro, President and CEO of Fuse Lending, Inc., the official lending arm of GCash, converses with officers of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) during the 2nd Philippine Climate Forum at the Ayala Museum, Makati City. |
According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, starting capital is a major barrier for MSMEs, with 57% of small businesses still relying on informal loans. Through its extensive Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and lending trust rating systems, GCash can provide quick and accessible loans for aspiring business owners. They can borrow up to PHP 125,000, depending on their GScore, which is deposited straight to their GCash wallet, reducing the need for filing multiple paperwork.
Aside from MSMEs, GCash has been helping provide better opportunities to local farmers, partnering with Mayani and Farm Konekt to give farmers and fishermen access to non-collateralized loans, and to conduct financial literacy sessions to further educate local farming and fishing communities about climate investment opportunities available to them.
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