FinTech Alliance.PH unveils Manila Tech Summit 2026 as ASEAN Flagship for a Secure, Inclusive, and Borderless Digital Economy.
MANILA, Philippines — FinTech Alliance.PH today announced the return of the Manila Tech Summit 2026, taking on heightened strategic importance as the Philippines assumes the ASEAN Chairship. Positioned as the country’s largest fintech and digital economy gathering, the Summit will serve as a key platform advancing the regional agenda under the theme: Building ASEAN’s Digital Economy: Secure. Sustainable. Inclusive. Borderless.
Set on July 28 to 29, 2026 at the Manila Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom in Pasay City, the Summit is expected to convene over 4,000 global leaders, policymakers, regulators, innovators, investors, and technology pioneers from across ASEAN and beyond.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is slated to deliver the opening keynote, alongside globally recognized experts and practitioners shaping the future of finance, technology, and public policy.
“As ASEAN Chair, the Philippines has a decisive opportunity to move DEFA from aspiration to execution. The Manila Tech Summit 2026 is designed as a working platform, aligning policy, capital, and technology to enable trusted cross border ecosystems. This is about building a digital economy that is not only innovative, but interoperable, secure, and inclusive at scale,” said Lito Villanueva, Founding Chairman of FinTech Alliance.PH.
Organized by FinTech Alliance.PH in collaboration with ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines, Asia FinTech Alliance, ASEAN FinTech Forum, and ASEAN Innovation Business Platform, with strong support from key government institutions including the Office of the President, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Finance, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Summit aims to accelerate ASEAN cooperation toward a secure, interoperable, and future ready digital economy.
A central thrust of this year’s Summit is the accelerated realization of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement or DEFA, enabling seamless cross border digital trade, trusted data flows, interoperable payments, and more harmonized regulations across the region. The Summit will serve as a convening platform for both public and private sector leaders to translate DEFA from policy ambition into actionable frameworks, investments, and scalable solutions.
“The Digital Economy Framework Agreement will be transformative for ASEAN. Our focus is clear to reduce friction in digital trade, empower MSMEs to scale regionally, and ensure that innovation translates into inclusive economic growth. The Summit provides a critical venue to accelerate these outcomes,” said Secretary Cristina Roque of the Department of Trade and Industry.
This vision of a more connected and collaborative ASEAN was reinforced during the recent ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in Cebu, led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., where all 11 ASEAN leaders were in attendance under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together.” The Summit underscored a shared regional commitment that ASEAN’s future growth will increasingly depend on digital cooperation, trusted innovation, resilient infrastructure, and stronger cross border partnerships. These leadership priorities directly anchor the agenda of the Manila Tech Summit 2026, ensuring continuity from policy dialogue to industry execution.
Key discussions will focus on Agentic AI and Intelligent Automation, Stablecoins and Cross Border Finance, Seamless Digital Payments, Cybersecurity and Digital Resilience, and Data Governance and Digital Infrastructure, all aligned to fast track DEFA priorities and outcomes.
“What we need now is speed and execution. This Summit brings together decision makers to drive partnerships and investments toward a truly borderless ASEAN digital economy,” said Joey Concepcion, ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines Chairman.
The Summit will also mark the launch of the 2026 Philippine FinTech Report, a leading industry reference for policymakers, investors, and development institutions.
Among the initial major sponsors include Transunion, Converge ICT, Huawei, Advanced Finance Solutions, Inc. (Skyro), Advance AI, Grab, Coins.ph, IDfy, Phi Commerce, Amdocs, and Blockshoals.
International fintech participation is expected from the 16 member economies of the Asia FinTech Alliance including those from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Israel, Hungary, UAE, Luxembourg, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and other partner economies, reinforcing the Philippines’ role as a regional convenor and bridge to global innovation ecosystems.
About FinTech Alliance.PH
Founded in 2017, FinTech Alliance.PH is the country’s first and largest digital industry association, with over 150 corporate members representing more than 95 percent of the Philippines’ retail digital financial transaction volume. Members include leading institutions such as GCash, Maya, Grab, Wise, Maribank, Shopee, Food Panda CIMB, BPI, RCBC, Mastercard, Visa, LANDBANK, PNB, Security Bank, SGV and Co., Ernst and Young, and Alibaba Cloud, among others.
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