The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the signing of landmark collaborations between the Philippines and Japan which will give his administration’s digitalization initiative a major push. With the Philippines becoming a major and trusted hub for digital innovation, financial technology, and smart urban development, several Memoranda of Understanding between the Ayala Group and leading Japanese companies in Tokyo were forged during Marcos’ state visit to Japan. The agreements with Mitsubishi Corporation, MUFG Bank, and KDDI Corporation advance collaboration in intelligent city solutions, digital finance, marketing technology, and AI-driven infrastructure, highlighting strong Japanese investor confidence in the Philippines and opening new opportunities for innovation-led growth, financial inclusion, and smarter, more connected communities for Filipinos. The intelligent cities initiative will have Makati City as a jump-off point, and will center on how to make AI-powered systems, urban data platforms, smart mobility, connectivity, and digital city services effectively integrate into the lives of citizens. Meanwhile, the MOU between Ayala Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation will explore how to further expand the use of digital wallet GCash. The possible areas of cooperation include loyalty and rewards programs, ticketing platforms, digital commerce, customer engagement tools, and digital marketing technologies. It likewise will be integrated into Ayala and Mitsubishi's ecosystems across real estate, retail, energy, and mobility to advance financial inclusion while also aiming to enhance GCash’s digital finance services among them lending, payments, wealth management, and other digital services. Separately, Japanese firms, in a business roundtable led by Marcos, also pledged to invest around $3.4 billion, or around P210 billion in the Philippines. This, as the president reiterates that the Philippines “is open, ready, and highly capable of supporting the rapid expansion and resilience of Japanese global value chains.”
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