BPI Foundation, Globe Join Forces For MSME Digitalization Program

The BPI Foundation, the social innovation arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), recently teamed up with Globe Telecom to enhance its digitalization empowerment initiative.

The Foundation tapped Globe to serve as the official telecommunication partner of its entrepreneurship program, “Show Me, Teach Me” (SMTM), in enabling micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to embrace digital technology in their businesses.

SMTM is capacity-building program that aims to empower Filipino MSMEs in doing basic financial management, product development, and products and services marketing. It is an initiative in partnership with the Philippine Trade Training Center, the Department of Trade and Industry’s training arm.

“For our SMTM program this year, we want to equip our provincial-based entrepreneurs with the technological know-how to allow them to conduct their businesses more efficiently and effectively, and for them to understand the power of digital marketing,” said BPI Foundation Executive Director Maricris San Diego.

Under the agreement, Globe will be installing and providing free Wi-Fi access for all the participants once the program rolls out in the cities of Roxas, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan, and Tacloban.

“We tapped Globe, through Globe myBusiness, to help entrepreneurs with their digital and mobile business tools. As the leading provider of affordable ad effective business solutions for MSMEs, we believe Globe can maximize the potential of businesses in Visayas and Mindanao,” San Diego added.

Provincial-based Globe representatives will also offer digital technology-based business solutions for local entrepreneurs.

“As we help these entrepreneurs succeed, we also hope to spread the benefits of financial inclusion to more Filipinos. Through projects such as this, BPI aims to become the most inclusive of banks,” said San Diego.

Since its launch in 2010, the SMTM program was able to cover more provinces across the country, growing its beneficiary reach by 70% in 2018. From a total of 941 participants in 2017, the program has provided basic business recording, food packaging and labeling design, and non-food product enhancement and assessment modules to 1,596 MSMEs in 2018.

The program also introduced green business modules to encourage MSMEs to integrate more sustainable ways of operating their businesses.