Now for some Philippine tech industry news on green mobility, AI, and fintech.
Here’s what’s new this week:
Green Mobility
- Green and Smart Mobility (GSM) just launched its shared tech platform in the Philippines, letting VinFast EV owners and renters (VF 5 and Limo Green models) sign up as service partners. To accelerate the shift to EVs, GSM is offering drivers up to 90% revenue share and free charging through March 2029.
AI Innovation & Regional Leadership
- Seven Filipino AI startups, backed by DOST-TAPI, represented the Philippines at GITEX AI Asia in Singapore last week. Here are a few standouts:
- GradeChum: AI for automatic evaluation of handwritten schoolwork.
- Farmesto: IoT and AI systems for greenhouse climate and nutrient control.
- WEHLO: Localized weather and flood monitoring for disaster preparedness.
- The Philippines is aiming to become a regional AI hub. The DICT wrapped up SONAI 2026 in January, and the 24-month roadmap was unveiled with specific actions starting this month. SONAI is gearing up to host the ASEAN AI Summit in Manila this September, which focuses on people-first AI.
Digital Infrastructure
- After February’s Telecommunication Summit, the government is stepping up its Konektadong Pinoy push. The goal now is meaningful connectivity, not just more fiber, making it easier for satellite internet to reach remote areas.
- Earlier this year, the DICT briefly restricted the AI tool Grok due to concerns about deepfakes. Now, they’re moving to a conditional reinstatement, promising strict ethical rules as AI rolls out in public services. The DICT also announced that it is not banning Roblox, a popular online game for kids, after Roblox executives said it will improve its safety features for young players.
Fintech Leadership & Regulatory Stability
- The leaders of the country’s two fintech unicorns, Ren-Ren Reyes (GCash) and Gelo Madrid (Maya), were re-elected to the FinTech Alliance.PH board. They’ll keep steering industry talks with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
- The BSP is sticking to its ambitious ’70-50′ goal: get 70% of Filipino adults into the formal financial system and make half of all retail payments digital.
- Grab’s annual product showcase just wrapped up, with new features set to roll out in the Philippines this month:
- GrabPay for Travel: A QR payment service for smoother cross-border transactions.
- Grab AI Assistant: An in-app chatbot to help with everything from meal planning to booking rides.
- Cash Loan for Consumers: Lending is now open to all users, not just merchants or drivers.
For more tech industry news, visit TGXP³ regularly.