{"id":73072,"date":"2026-02-06T07:47:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T23:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/?p=73072"},"modified":"2026-02-04T11:49:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T03:49:04","slug":"maya-digital-banking-stronger-infrastructure-can-speed-up-msme-financing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/2026\/02\/06\/maya-digital-banking-stronger-infrastructure-can-speed-up-msme-financing\/","title":{"rendered":"Maya: Digital banking, stronger infrastructure can speed up MSME financing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Progress in national infrastructure and enabling policies, supported by digital banking, can help accelerate access to financing for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs),\u00a0Maya Bank President Angelo Madrid\u00a0said at the Money20\/20 Philippines Summit.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Madrid shared these views during a panel discussion on\u00a0\u201cOpen Banking and Embedded Finance Empowering SMEs,\u201d\u00a0which examined how financial services can be delivered more efficiently when they are integrated directly into the platforms businesses already use\u2014helping reduce friction, shorten approval timelines and improve access to capital for small enterprises.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMSMEs are the backbone of the Philippine economy, but many still face challenges when it comes to accessing timely financing,\u201d\u00a0Madrid said. \u201cDigital banking plays an important role, but it works best when supported by the right\u00a0national\u00a0infrastructure\u2014simpler processes,\u00a0streamlined\u00a0requirements and\u00a0digitized\u00a0systems that make it easier for businesses to operate and grow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>MSMEs account for\u00a0nearly 99.6%\u00a0of all businesses in the Philippines, employ about two-thirds of the workforce and contribute\u00a0roughly 40%\u00a0of GDP. Yet access to formal financing\u00a0remains\u00a0uneven\u2014often constrained by limited collateral, fragmented records and lengthy application processes that do not always reflect how small businesses\u00a0operate.<\/p>\n<p>Madrid emphasized the importance of continued progress in national digital infrastructure and in enabling policies\u00a0that reduce friction for MSMEs\u2014such as simpler business registration processes, more standardized documentation and greater use of digital records across government and financial institutions.<\/p>\n<p>He also highlighted the role of know-your-business (KYB) processes in helping\u00a0financial institutions verify and better understand MSMEs. Madrid said sustained collaboration among regulators, industry players and government agencies\u2014including the\u00a0Bangko\u00a0Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)\u2014is key to improving the ease of doing business and expanding credit access for MSMEs.<\/p>\n<p>Panel discussions highlighted how embedded finance\u2014where payments, banking and credit are integrated directly into business platforms\u2014can help close financing gaps for MSMEs by delivering financial services within the flow of everyday operations. Instead of navigating separate applications or physical branches, MSMEs can access payments, accounts and financing tools in one place, enabling faster time-to-cash and reducing friction at moments of need, such as inventory restocking or seasonal demand.<\/p>\n<p>Drawing on Maya\u2019s experience serving MSMEs, Madrid highlighted how this model works in practice through Maya\u2019s integrated ecosystem.\u00a0Through the Maya Business app,\u00a0MSMEs can accept digital payments, manage funds and access banking services in a single interface, while AI-powered credit assessment is informed by actual transaction data and cash-flow activity rather than fixed collateral alone. This allows working capital to be offered more quickly and in amounts aligned with\u00a0real business\u00a0performance\u2014making credit more accessible and practical for small enterprises.<\/p>\n<p>Madrid noted that progress toward open finance, including secure data-sharing frameworks, can further enhance how financial institutions assess MSME needs over time. However, he emphasized that near-term impact comes from strengthening foundational systems and collaboration across\u00a0government and industry players\u00a0to ensure digital tools translate into real improvements for businesses on the ground.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImproving access to finance isn\u2019t just about new products,\u201d Madrid said. \u201cIt\u2019s about making the overall experience simpler and more intuitive\u2014from onboarding and verification to disbursement and daily use.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0Money20\/20 Philippines\u00a0Summit\u00a0brings together leaders from across banking, payments, fintech, and policy to discuss the future of financial services and how technology can support inclusive and sustainable economic growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MSMEs account for\u00a0nearly 99.6%\u00a0of all businesses in the Philippines, employ about two-thirds of the workforce and contribute\u00a0roughly 40%\u00a0of GDP. Yet access to formal financing\u00a0remains\u00a0uneven\u2014often constrained by limited collateral, fragmented records and lengthy application processes that do not always reflect how small businesses\u00a0operate.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":73073,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[413,3704,7376],"class_list":["post-73072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","tag-banking","tag-financing","tag-maya"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73072"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73074,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73072\/revisions\/73074"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}