Major Maria Theresa Babiera of the Philippine Army never imagined that a simple conversation with her seven-year-old daughter at the mall would become a powerful reflection of the financial lessons she’d learned—and passed on.

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya on Friday delivered a compelling lecture at Ateneo de Manila University as part of its “EmbLEM: Embassy Lectures, Encounters, and Masterclasses” series, reinforcing the strong and evolving bilateral ties between Japan and the Philippines.

Maya, the country's top digital bank and fintech ecosystem, has unveiled Paleng-Kita, a new credit program aimed at providing micro and small business owners—particularly market vendors and public transport drivers—with access to fair, collateral-free loans.