The ASEAN Tech Summit 2026 opened in Manila, bringing together heads of government, regulators, and fintech leaders to discuss Southeast Asia’s digital future.

Running under the theme “Building ASEAN’s Digital Economy: Secure. Sustainable. Inclusive. Borderless,” the two-day summit covers AI, digital assets, cybersecurity, open finance, and financial inclusion.

In his welcome address, FinTech Alliance PH Founding Chairman and RCBC EVP Lito Villanueva said ASEAN is no longer merely participating in the global digital economy but is increasingly defining its direction.

“The blueprint for the next decade of global finance is being written today. ASEAN has the opportunity not just to participate in that future, but to help shape it,” he said.

Villanueva pointed to agentic AI, tokenised finance, and cybersecurity as forces converging to reshape financial services.

He proposed a private sector-led ASEAN Resiliency Wealth Fund to accelerate regional investment.

Alongside it, he called for a regional Network Anti-Scam Hub to improve intelligence-sharing against cross-border financial crime.

DICT Secretary Henry Aguda represented President Marcos and delivered his keynote.

Aguda reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to digital transformation and regional cooperation.

Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao headlined the summit’s keynote.

He also joined Villanueva for a fireside chat on regulated stablecoins as a cornerstone of ASEAN’s next-generation financial infrastructure.

GFTN Group CEO Sopnendu Mohanty separately discussed building AI-ready talent across the region.

A Long-Term Partnership and a New Industry Report

Organisers announced a long-term collaboration between GFTN and the Philippines focused on financial innovation and AI-ready talent, including GFTN’s Select Series coming to Manila, an ASEAN Financial Health Challenge with the BSP, and a five-year AI Horizon Philippines Programme.

Villanueva also launched the 2026 Philippine Fintech Report during the summit.

Held during the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship, the summit aims to advance the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement.

At a related event in May, Villanueva cited PSA data showing the Philippines’ digital economy reached PHP2.74 trillion in 2025, or 9.8% of GDP, employing roughly 10.39 million Filipinos.

BSP data he cited separately showed over 57% of monthly retail transactions are now digital, with InstaPay and PesoNet processing PHP24.7 trillion combined last year.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Philippines based on an image by Fintech Alliance.ph via its Press Release.