The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recognized the country’s top financial education advocates and formalized a new digitalization partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) during the Financial Education Stakeholders’ Congress held on 17–18 November at the BSP head office in Manila.
BSP deputy governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat led the awarding of institutions whose programs have strengthened financial education and inclusion across the country. Awardees ranged from national government agencies and development partners to private foundations, microfinance groups, local governments, and civil service and uniformed services organizations.
During the event, Romulo-Puyat and DICT Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda signed an agreement to boost digital support for two major BSP initiatives: Paleng-QR Ph Plus, which promotes QR-based digital payments in markets, transport, and small businesses, and the BSP E-Learning Academy (BELA), an online platform offering accessible economic and financial learning materials.
More than 3,500 participants from government, academe, private institutions, and micro, small, and medium enterprises joined the congress, held under the theme “The Journey to Financial Success: Financial Learning that Connects, Transforms, and Sustains.” Romulo-Puyat said the BSP aims to empower Filipinos through financial education, noting improvements in household borrowing behavior as literacy efforts expand.
New financial education tools and partnerships were also launched, including the Credit Card Association of the Philippines’ online learning module, the BSP’s enhanced “Protect Your Money” campaign, and Fin-Ed collaborations with the housing department, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, and TransUnion.
The two-day gathering featured learning sessions on digital learning, sustainable financial habits, and financial confidence. Speakers included financial experts, industry leaders, government officials, and celebrity advocates.
The congress is part of the BSP’s annual celebration of Economic and Financial Literacy Week, as mandated by Republic Act 10922, which promotes building a financially informed and empowered public to support national development.
