Philippines Champions ASEAN MSME Digitalization and Payments Cooperation at WTO Public Forum 2025

Karmela Holtgreve (left), Rowena Zamora (center), and Felix Sharief (right) speak during the session “Beyond Borders:  ASEAN’s Bold Paths to MSME Digitalization,” co-organized by the Philippine Mission to the WTO and GCash at the WTO  Public Forum 2025 in Geneva.

GENEVA 13 October 2025 — The Philippine Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) reaffirmed the Philippines’  leadership in promoting digital transformation and inclusive growth for micro, small, and medium  enterprises (MSMEs) across ASEAN during the WTO Public Forum 2025, held from 17–18  September in Geneva. 

As co-organizer of the high-level session “Beyond Borders: ASEAN’s Bold Paths to MSME  Digitalization,” the Mission showcased the Philippines’ active role in shaping global trade  discussions on MSME competitiveness and digital payments interoperability. The session,  organized in partnership with GCash, the country’s leading digital financial platform, brought  together policymakers, private sector leaders, and innovators from Southeast Asia to exchange  experiences on bridging digital divides and unlocking new market opportunities for MSMEs. The WTO Public Forum is the organization’s largest annual outreach event, gathering ministers,  policymakers, and thought leaders to discuss how trade can address emerging challenges. This year’s theme, “Enhance, Create, and Preserve,” explored how digital transformation and  sustainability can drive inclusive global growth.  

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Manuel A.J. Teehankee, the Philippines’ Permanent  Representative to the WTO, underscored MSMEs’ vital contribution to ASEAN economies and  called for collective efforts to ensure their full participation in global value chains. He noted that  “MSMEs are the backbone of our economies. To empower them, we must build interoperable  digital systems that reduce costs, enable seamless cross-border transactions, and connect our  entrepreneurs to the world.” 

Ambassador Teehankee also recalled the Philippines’ strong participation in the inaugural Global  SME Ministerial Meeting held in Johannesburg in July 2025, where trade ministers and  international partners adopted a Call to Action on digital inclusion, access to finance, skills  development, and the green transition. He noted that the Philippines continues to advance this  agenda through its leadership in ASEAN by concluding the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework  Agreement (DEFA) ahead of the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026 and in ongoing WTO  discussions on services, investment facilitation, and digital trade. The Philippines is also leading  efforts to deepen WTO cooperation on digital payments and remittances, a critical enabler of  MSME competitiveness and cross-border commerce. Ambassador Teehankee highlighted that  initiatives such as the BIS Innovation Hub’s Project Nexus, developed with the central banks of  the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and India illustrate how regional  collaboration can support the WTO’s work on enhancing financial connectivity.

The panel, moderated by Rowena Zamora, Chief Strategy Officer of Mynt (the operator of GCash),  examined strategies to accelerate MSME adoption of digital tools and platforms. Ms. Zamora  stressed the importance of policy environments that support seamless transitions to cashless  systems and scalable digital solutions. 

“The private sector is well-placed to launch agile services and innovative solutions,” Zamora  noted. “But partnerships with the public sector are essential to achieving broader impact and  significant progress.” She was joined by Felix Sharief, Vice President for Public Policy and  Government Relations at Indonesia’s digital wallet platform DANA. 

Sharief highlighted how ASEAN’s standardization of e-commerce processes and economic  cooperation has helped DANA expand financial inclusion, particularly among unbanked  communities. He underscored the critical role of public-private collaboration in driving digital  transformation. 

“Private companies bring technology and innovation, while the public sector creates enabling  policies,” Sharief said. “Together, we can ensure financial access for all and accelerate  digitalization.”

In addition, Zamora participated in another working session, “Digital Payments in ASEAN: From  Innovation to Inclusion,” organized by the Indonesian government, where experts discussed cross border QR code interoperability and regional payment connectivity.

Through its support and co-organization of these activities, the Philippine Mission to the WTO  underscored the Philippines’ continued commitment to advancing inclusive digital trade in  ASEAN and strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors to empower  MSMEs as vital drivers of economic growth. END

For more information, visit https://wtopm.dfa.gov.ph/.