Esquire Financing

geo/philippines
MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) is an international economic development organization founded in 1953 whose mission is to create business solutions to poverty.
Washington D.C, February 16, 2023 – One of the Philippines‘ leading banks, Security Bank Corporation joined the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network.
Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation.
“Since 2016, we’ve been implementing our mission to build a global membership to support better SME financing, and since then, we’ve established a network with over 240 active member institutions, which operate in over 190 countries sharing the common purpose of helping under-served enterprises. We are delighted to welcome Security Bank Corporation, the first private and Filipino-controlled bank of the post-World War II period, to further grow our mission.” said Matthew Gamser, CEO of the SME Finance Forum.
Security Bank is one of the Philippines' leading universal banks serving retail, commercial, corporate, MSME, and institutional clients. The Bank has a proud history of financial management expertise, with a proven track record of stability and consistent profitability achieved through an efficient, perceptive, and forward-thinking management style.
“Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises are a priority at Security Bank. The Business Banking Segment (BBS), established in 2022, provides a holistic value proposition for these businesess who help uplift the Philippine economy. By joining the SME Finance Forum, we hope to receive timely and relevant information on the SME lending industry and accelerate our business rollout in 2023,” says John David Yap, SVP and Head of Business Banking Segment at Security Bank.
About SME Finance Forum
The SME Finance Forum was established by the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) in 2012 as a knowledge center for data, research, and best practice in promoting SME finance. As an implementing partner for the GPFI, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was tasked with managing the initiative. The Forum operates a global membership network of +240 members that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs.
To see all SME Finance Forum members, please visit: https://www.smefinanceforum.org/members/member-list
About Security Bank
Security Bank Corporation is one of the Philippines’ leading universal banks, established on June 18, 1951 as the first private, Filipino-controlled bank of the post-World War II period, and publicly-listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE:SECB) in 1995.
Security Bank’s major businesses cover retail, corporate, commercial, and business banking. It offers a wide range of services including financing, leasing, foreign exchange, stock brokerage, investment banking, and asset management.
Security Bank differentiates itself from competition as a strong, independent, domestic bank with a global reach. The Bank provides superior customer experience in line with its brand promise of BetterBanking, stemming from an in-depth understanding of customers’ needs and providing solutions in a professional, problem-free, personalized and prompt manner. With the Bank’s strategic partnership with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), the largest financial group in Japan, it is also able to provide customers access to an extensive global network.
The Bank has been recognized by international and local organizations for its continuous product innovation, market leadership, and best-in-class management practices.
More information is available on www.securitybank.com
One of the Philippines' leading banks serving retail, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients and the first private and Filipino-controlled bank of the post-World War II period.
Global non-profit committed to ending extreme poverty and promoting quality education for families. They provide financial resources, training and support to start small businesses and earn living wages.
RCBC is majority-owned by the Yuchengco Group of Companies, one of the largest conglomerates in Southeast Asia. It is among the largest private domestic banks in the Philippines in terms of assets.
BAI Global Innovation Awards, the financial service industry’s most prestigious awards program, has recently recognized UBX, the fintech spinoff and venture capital unit of Union Bank of the Philippines, for its high-impact innovation especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now on its tenth year, the BAI celebrates new and innovative solutions in the industry worldwide. Each winner is selected by the Innovation Circle, a panel of international financial services innovation leaders, who evaluate each submission for originality and impact to determine the most innovative companies across eight awards categories.
BAI and the Innovation Circle judges acknowledged “the heroic efforts of financial services organizations throughout the industry to meet the needs of their customers, colleagues and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic” particularly UBX, which was one of only two organizations recognized with special Honorable Mention for its “high-impact innovation during the pandemic to meet the changing needs of its customers quickly and effectively.”
UBX’s SeekCap is the Philippine's first same-day-approval loan marketplace for MSMEs. Through SeekCap, multiple lending institutions, including banks, can swiftly create and launch loan products on the marketplace, thereby allowing MSME borrowers to choose what loan product best suits their business needs, and apply for loans digitally and seamlessly on a single platform.
This game-changing solution was built by UBX together with OneConnect Financial Technologies to provide an end-to-end digital lending marketplace that allows MSMEs to quickly 'seek capital' – hence the brand name SeekCap. SeekCap is also a play on the Filipino word 'sikap' which means perseverance, diligence, and hard work – qualities that most MSMEs already have. This search enables MSMEs to also compare and apply for credit digitally and seamlessly, while enjoy fast, “within-1-day” approval.
" It is a great privilege for UBX to be recognized by BAI with a special Honorable Mention for our mission to provide opportunity and access for all! Now, more than ever, MSMEs play a critical role in revitalizing the Philippine economy. With a fully-digital experience and fast approvals, SeekCap addresses the major funding gap of MSMEs who are acutely affected by access to credit and working capital; made even more challenging under COVID. Through SeekCap, MSMEs don't even need a bank account to apply,” said UBX President and CEO John Januszczak.
For more information about UBX and its digital products, visit www.ubx.ph