- Forum continues on its goal to create a ‘vibrant and resurgent Philippines’
- E-commerce goes hand-in-hand with UnionBank’s thrust to go digital
UnionBank welcomed 83 new e-commerce small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at the second run of the Ureka Forum held at the Iloilo Convention Center, Iloilo City last February 20, 2016. Over 500 entrepreneurs and students attended the Ureka Forum.
Ureka was developed after a study showed that despite representing 95% of the country’s registered businesses and employing 62% of the labor force, only 1% of all SMEs in the Philippines have a working website. This reality presents a disconnect with the current market when in fact 70% of Filipinos are online every day.
“The Ureka Forum is UnionBank’s major advocacy. It is our way of giving back to the community and to help many local business owners make their products available to the world through the internet. E-commerce is the way of the future, and today, competition is not only limited to local brick-and-mortar businesses but also businesses from all over the world,†said UnionBank President & CEO Edwin R. Bautista.
Successful entrepreneurs from the first batch of graduates from the Ureka Forum in Baguio City — which produced 50 new e-commerce sites — were also present. One of them is Mart Louis “Mart†Fernando of AgitoLAB Artists Production and ALAB DanseTroupe who talked about how his two Ureka Shops were able to make a difference in the lives of artists and dancers in Baguio City.
At the end of the forum, SMEs walk out with their own personalized websites complete with payment portals bringing their products to the global arena through the online marketplace. This is what makes the Ureka Forum different from all other SME enablers.
“We believe that technology, e-Commerce in particular, is a great equalizer for this age. We just have to use it as leverage to build a vibrant and resurgent Philippines where economic growth is inclusive.”
–Genju Lapez, Executive Vice President and Head for Strategic Partnerships, UnionBank
Ureka Forum was made possible through the partnership with the following organizations: Air 21, AMTI, Cebu Pacific, Department of Trade and Industry, dragonpay, JCI Iloilo, Luwak White Koffie, Panahon TV, PLDT-Smart SME Nation, shopinas.com, Fruit Tea and GeiserMaclang.