FinTech Alliance PH mounts 2nd Pickleball Tournament, unites fintech industry over social good

CAINTA, RIZAL - FinTech Alliance PH, the country’s largest and premier digital industry association of over 170 corporate members, successfully mounted “Sportstacular 2026: An Industry-wide Fitness Fest: Paddle Forward Pickleball Tournament Season 2” from October 24 to 25, 2026 at the Astra Pickleball Center in Cainta, Rizal. 

The event was considered a milestone after it welcomed over 400 players across 42 organizations, a visible showcase of fintech sector collaboration and support. The fintech industry drew a strength of unity and force in this year’s iteration of the tournament by growing the number of participants by 100% and tripling the number of participants according to FinTech Alliance PH founding chairman Lito Villanueva.

“A huge thank you to 422 players representing 42 organizations who came together to make this our biggest edition yet! That’s more than double the participating organizations and over 3x the number of organizations’ participation growth compared to last year’s 21 organizations and 130 players,” Villanueva said.

Villanueva further exclaimed, “Your incredible turnout reflects the growing passion for sports, wellness, and stronger industry connections. Together, we’re proving that the fintech community is stronger on and off the court!”

The tournament was an opportunity for professionals, leaders and visionaries from the fintech industry to build camaraderie, deepen connections, and forge a path of shared purpose anchored upon social good. 

Moreover, it comes at a timely period for the industry after the BSP announced that InstaPay and PESONet fund transfers hit Php 25 Trillion. The combined clearing houses’ transaction volume grew 124% year-on-year; and transaction value leaped by 45% year-on-year.

At the end of the tournament, RCBC clinched the overall top 1 spot. The bank was followed by digital bank Maya in second place; the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in third place; GCash in fourth place; and LANDBANK in fifth place.

Sportstacular 2026 was co-presented with GCash and SandBox Prime, and was supported by sponsors Maya, ATRAM Investments, Home Credit, JuanHand, and LANDBANK.

For this year’s full list of winners:

Novice - Men’s Doubles

Gold - RCBC - Clark Jordan Sison / Jan Ryon Gabrelle Binuluan

SIlver - Maya - Joshua Tanyag / Jhon Michael Andales

Bronze - UNOBank Inc. - Group 1- Dane Martin Anastacio / Christian Karl Molina

Novice - Women’s Doubles

Gold - Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas - Acie Prepuse / Jacquelyn Quilit

Silver - PalawanPay - Honeyzel Eyas / Alaine Junne Mae Tribiana

Bronze - Doanne Ramirez / Aika San Juan

Novice - Mixed Doubles

Gold - Medicard Philippines - Warna Tanjulin / Edson De Villa

Silver - PalawanPay - Bernard Kaibigan / Honeyzel Eyas

Bronze - Pickle-boo - Cai Dela Cruz / Mike Montevirgen

Low Intermediate - Men’s Doubles

Gold - RCBC - Jayson Tubid / Rennier Katigbak

Silver - Pickle-boo - Joshua Ingal / Ryan Marquez

Bronze - Bayad - Dennis Dungo / Evan Diculen

Low Intermediate - Women’s Doubles

Gold - Maya - Ma. Rhijean Sarenas / Raven Ico

Silver - GCash - Marovic Valle / Monica Janette Abesamis

Bronze - Foodpanda - Maria Czarina Concepcion / Khen Alfonso

Low Intermediate - Mixed Doubles

Gold - Pickle-boo - Christian Jay Tingcang / Abby Ingal

Silver - Grab - Ceril Cruz / Mica Aquino

Bronze - RCBC - Jacqueline Michelle Enriquez / Jose Karlo Japlos

High Intermediate - Men’s Doubles

Gold - Hawaii Barber - Eevhan Antenorcruz / Jewel Arcega

Silver - GCash - John David Bartolome / Louie Ocampo

Bronze - RCBC - Enzo Tiongson / Brian Christopher Del Rosario

High Intermediate - Women’s Doubles

Gold - GCash - Camille San Diego / Marjolaine De Castro

Silver - Maya - Maria Gabrielle Sandejas / Denise Bernardo

Bronze - RCBC - Nicole Sacramento / Jasmine Estelle Pineda

High Intermediate - Mixed Doubles

Gold - Maya - Gabriel Rhobert Dy / Denise Bernardo

Silver - RCBC - Paolo Montecillo Dy / Sarah Briones

Bronze - PalawanPay - Alaine Junee Mae Tribiana / Mark Darwin Villarata

C-Suite (no-bearing game; excluded in points computation for overall champion)

Gold - RCBC - Joey Flor / Lylah Ballaran

Silver - RCBC - Luis Tadeo Del Rosario Abello / Reggie Cariaso

Bronze - S&P Global Phil Inc. - Jimbo Borja / Rey Castro

We’re now Asean Gamingand launching our advisory arm, AG Consult

As we enter a new chapter with the launch of AG Consult, our new advisory business, we have rebranded as Asean Gaming.

AG Consult offers end-to-end licensing, compliance, governance, strategy and media support for operators, regulators and investors from Asia-Pacific and further afield. 

The rebranding brings consistency across our platforms: Asean Gaming publishes your daily Asean Gaming Brief and organizes the ASEAN Gaming Summit. 

AG Consult draws on the experience and networks built over years of reporting on the industry, connecting stakeholders and bringing together regulators, operators, suppliers and all manner of service providers. 

 

The advisory proposition rests on a two-pronged approach: clients can engage AG Consult directly for a defined project or an ongoing mandate, or they can use it as a route into a wider network.

Luis Pereira, Managing Director of Asean Gaming, commented: “We’ve been very fortunate over the years to work with industry leaders and stakeholders from all sectors and jurisdictions, and it’s been this company’s ambition to capitalize on the experience and network we’ve accumulated from them. The new service allows us to do just that.” 

 

“With AG Consult, we’ll do more than just point people in the right direction. We’ll be part of the solution, either by providing direct advisory or connecting parties with real Asian experience and expertise. In a market where genuine regional experience is scarce, riddled with gaps, and extremely challenging to find, this matchmaking role is as much the point of AG Consult as the direct advisory work,” he added.

Services

AG Consult is a boutique, senior-led advisory practice by design, connecting clients with specialist expertise with proven track records in their fields. The service spans 25 specialist areas grouped under four pillars. 

Licensing and authorization covers jurisdiction selection, application drafting and regulator liaison, responsible gambling frameworks and banking and payments readiness, across at least 12 jurisdictions. These include the Isle of Man, Malta, Gibraltar, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Curaçao, Anjouan, Nevis, Tobique, Kahnawake, Tuvalu and Liberia. 

Compliance covers the full ongoing lifecycle, from outsourced MLRO, Compliance Officer and Data Protection Officer roles through AML and CFT framework design, regulatory readiness and mock audits, data protection, training, internal audit, forensic advisory and remediation. 

Advisory covers the strategic and commercial layer, including market entry, M&A and corporate finance, technology and platform selection, land-based casino development, wealth structuring, government regulatory design and ESG.

Media and Events draws directly on Asean Gaming’s own strengths, offering PR and crisis communications, thought leadership, conference and roundtable production, as well as brand activation at the major international events. AG Consult clients also benefit from direct access to Asean Gaming’s readership across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and beyond.

Alternative dispute resolution, a licensing requirement in a growing number of jurisdictions, is handled through AG Consult-affiliated service iGamingADR, which is already approved as an ADR provider under frameworks including Anjouan, Nevis, Curaçao and Tobique.

 

AG Consult is offering free, no-obligation consultations for operators, regulators and investors weighing their next move. Details of all 25 service areas are available at aseangaming.com/consult.

 

Asean Gaming is no longer affiliated with Asia Gaming Brief. 

 

The launch of the consultancy arm is part of a series of initiatives we are rolling out over the coming months. Stay tuned for more!

 

We’ve also revamped our new social media channels!

Follow us for up-to-date news, views and networking opportunities:

LinkedIn | X | Telegram | Facebook | Instagram

PAGCOR revenue falls 23.4% in 9M26 amid Philippine gaming slowdown

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) reported a 23.41 percent drop in revenue in the first nine months of 2026, with weaker electronic gaming earnings driving declines across its main revenue streams.

Total revenue fell to PHP64.41 billion ($1.01 billion) from PHP84.09 billion a year earlier, the regulator and casino operator said in an October 29th release.

PAGCOR revenue falls 23.4% in 9M26 amid Philippine gaming slowdown

Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco identified electronic gaming as the main drag. Segment revenue fell 37.23 percent to PHP27.63 billion ($431.8 million) from PHP44.03 billion, though it remained PAGCOR’s largest source of gaming revenue.

PAGCOR’s revenue from licensed casinos, its second-largest gaming contributor, declined 3.22 percent to PHP23.10 billion ($361 million) from PHP23.87 billion.

Its Casino Filipino branches generated PHP7.28 billion ($113.8 million), down 8 percent from PHP7.91 billion. Revenue from poker operations fell 4.60 percent to PHP105.86 million ($1.65 million) from PHP110.97 million.

Overall revenue from gaming operations dropped 23.44 percent to PHP58.13 billion ($908.4 million) from PHP75.93 billion.

Earnings from other related services fell 38.59 percent to PHP3.04 billion ($47.5 million). Other income was broadly unchanged at PHP3.23 billion ($50.5 million), compared with PHP3.20 billion a year earlier.

PAGCOR revenue falls 23.4% in 9M26 amid Philippine gaming slowdown

The nine-month revenue decline was less steep than the 26.64 percent fall PAGCOR reported for the first half, although earnings remained below year-earlier levels.

The results follow a broader slowdown in the Philippine gaming market. Separate PAGCOR data showed industry-wide gross gaming revenue (GGR) fell 20.33 percent year-on-year to PHP88.13 billion ($1.38 billion) in 2Q26. Tengco attributed the decline largely to weaker electronic gaming, citing inflation and Middle East tensions as well, which weighed on discretionary spending.

Online gaming access has also faced regulatory restrictions. In August 2025, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas ordered supervised financial institutions to remove links providing access to gambling sites from their mobile payment apps and websites within 48 hours.

PDRF, Direct Relief preposition 100 medical go bags to strengthen disaster preparedness

October 30, 2026, CLARK, PAMPANGA—The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), in partnership with Direct Relief, an international humanitarian organization, is prepositioning 100 medical go bags at the PDRF Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Clark, Pampanga, to strengthen disaster preparedness of its employees and disaster-affected communities. The initiative also aims to improve emergency response readiness by ensuring essential supplies are strategically positioned and available for deployment during disasters and emergencies.

“Disasters often strike without warning. Prepositioning Direct Relief’s emergency supplies enables us to help people faster and restore them more quickly to normalcy,” said PDRF President Butch Meily.

Direct Relief’s emergency medical pack is a rugged, purpose-built backpack tailored for mobile healthcare and first responders. Each pack includes essential supplies for triage, trauma care, infection control, and personal protection during disasters and public health crises.

Direct Relief Asia Pacific Regional Manager Len Manriquez and Asia Pacific Emergency Response Manager Dustin Shiau attended the assembly and preparation of the bags.

“Partnering with PDRF guarantees a timely response to health emergencies in a country ranked among the most disaster-prone in the world,” said Shiau.

The University of the Philippines Clark supported this initiative by mobilizing its students and volunteers to help assemble the contents.

This initiative may guide future efforts to increase pre-positioned emergency supplies, improve distribution, and expand coverage across the Philippines to reach more communities.

PH defense chief highlights unity, sovereignty, clarity in purpose and open dialogue at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. highlighted three key messages Wednesday as he chairs the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

In his opening remarks for the 20th ADMM, Teodoro noted the present challenges confronting the region, requiring ASEAN unity.

“Against this backdrop, and in line with the Philippines’ theme of ‘Navigating our Future, Together,’ we humbly offer in our capacity as chair of the ADMM three key messages to guide our discussions going forward,” said Teodoro.

First, Teodoro said ASEAN’s internal stability and intra unity are vital in upholding unity and cooperation in the midst of a fragmenting world.

The bloc, he pointed out, must adhere to ASEAN Centrality and the principles that bind it, such as mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes, and the renunciation of the threat or use of force. 

He noted that ASEAN was founded on the belief that its strength lies in its diversity, stressing each members states’ differences should not cause internal division.

“And where such differences exist, including in the South China Sea, we shall settle them through peaceful and legal means,” the Philippine defense chief noted.

Teodoro also highlighted the importance of functional cooperation to enhance trust, as he underscored the essence of maintaining trust and confidence among the ASEAN’s defense establishments and producing purposive outcomes for the people through the ADMM and the ADMM-Plus.

The ASEAN, he said, has made significant strides in maritime security, protection of critical underwater infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges. 

He also stressed the need to expand cooperation to secure food and energy security amid supply chain challenges from conflicts beyond its shores.

“This initiative gains in importance as Southeast Asia braces for a super El Niño, which will likewise affect food, water, electricity, and connectivity in our respective countries,” he said.

Lastly, Teodoro pointed to the importance of frank and open exchanges as defense and military officials gather for the this week’s defence ministers’ meeting, underscoring the threats that exist in the region that affect the safety of citizens, as well as regional stability.

In the spirit of candor and ASEAN solidarity, he said each country’s public pronouncements are guided by its respective national policies and diplomatic considerations but there must be trust, and confidence during the meetings.

“However, we hope we can speak amongst us in an atmosphere of trust, confidence, and candor, especially in our bilateral meetings and other engagements on the sideline,” he said. “In this manner, we can promote mutual understanding, find common ground, and better address the challenges that we face as individual nations and as a collective whole.” 

Teodoro earlier led the welcome rites for the ASEAN defense ministers as the Philippines, through the Department of National Defense (DND), host the 20th ADMM and the 13th ADMM-Plus on October 28-29, 2026, in Lapu-Lapu City, as part of Philippines’ 2026 ASEAN Chairship. 

 

Cooperation on humanitarian assistance, disaster response highlight ASEAN unity — Defense Chief

Cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster response is one of the most visible expressions of solidarity among ASEAN member states, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Wednesday as he expressed sympathies to fellow member states that have been affected by natural calamities.

“I would like to express likewise our sincere sympathies to our fellow member states who have been affected recently by natural calamities which have grown more frequent, severe, complex, and unpredictable in recent years,” Teodoro said in his opening remarks for the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in Lapu-Lapu City.

“For our part, we remain deeply grateful and committed to preserving the solidarity which you have extended to the Republic of the Philippines and for the assistance offered sometimes even before we could ask,” he said, as he expressed appreciation for the participation of other member states in the ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Disaster Resilience convened in Manila last month.

Stressing cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster response as expression of solidarity, he said it is comforting to know that member states can rely on their ASEAN brothers and sisters for assistance in times of need. 

The defense chief also raised the need for stronger cooperation among ASEAN members as Southeast Asia braces for a super El Niño phenomenon, which could affect food, water, electricity, and connectivity in the region. 

The defence ministers’ loop gathering, he said, also takes place at a significant moment for ASEAN, as it marks this year the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

At the same time, the ASEAN is also marking this year the 20th anniversary of the ADMM, which has provided an important platform for constructive dialogue and practical cooperation over the past two decades, he added.

The Philippines, through the Department of National Defense (DND), hosts the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) on October 28-29, 2026, in Lapu-Lapu City. 

Philippines-EU Reaffirm Partnership on Governance, Green Transition, Digital Economy, and Mindanao Development

The Philippines and the European Union (EU) reaffirmed their commitment under the EU-Philippines Partnership and Cooperation Agreement during the 6th Meeting of the Sub-Committee on Development Cooperation held in Manila, Philippines on October 1, 2026.

The meeting was co-chaired by Undersecretary Joven Z. Balbosa of the Department of Finance (DOF)-International Finance Group and Head of Unit South and South-East Asia from the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnerships Ovidiu Mic.

The Sub-Committee conducted a comprehensive review of ongoing cooperation and investment programs, focusing on two priority areas: (1) the Mindanao peace process and good governance; and (2) the green and digital economy.

Both sides expressed their intent to deepen cooperation under Global Gateway and the Enhanced Partnership signed on 24 July 2026. Priority areas include sustainable connectivity, green transition, digital transformation, and inclusive growth, while continuing support for good governance and peace and development in Mindanao.

Discussions highlighted the development of Global Gateway investment projects for both Government-to-Government cooperation and the private sector level. Also covered were ongoing investment operations on climate resilience, disaster risk reduction and water access, reflecting the shared commitment to strengthening the country’s adaptive capacity amid climate impacts and development challenges. 

New investments in key areas, such as green transition, circular economy, environmental protection, development in Mindanao, and prospective loan financing will be supported with EU grants (blended finance) and EU guarantees to de-risk upfront investment risks.

Under the Europe Team Approach, the roles of the European Investment Bank (EIB), other European Development Finance Institutions (EDFIs), and the EU private sector will be crucial, alongside potential cooperation with multilateral development banks, particularly with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The meeting also explored cooperation on the sustainable use of critical raw materials and recognised the relevance of regional cooperation within the framework of the EU-ASEAN Team Europe Initiatives, including the specific support for the seafarers’ action under the EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package as well as the expansion of EU Copernicus Earth Observation actions from the Philippines to Southeast Asian countries.

The EU and the Philippines highlighted the strategic importance of the ASEAN Power Grid as a key initiative for regional connectivity, energy integration, and the green transition, and further welcomed ongoing Team Europe support in this area.

The discussions also considered the Philippines’ transition to an upper middle-income country (UMIC) status and the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) as an emerging platform for strategic connectivity and investment.

The Philippine Government was represented by the DOF, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA),  Supreme Court, Court of Appeals (CA), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA).

The EU side was represented by the European Commission Directorate General for International Partnerships, EU Delegation to the Philippines, and the European Investment Bank.