Manila, Philippines — Growth in the Philippine micro-retail sector is seeing a significant shift toward the provinces, with regional hubs now outpacing Metro Manila in store expansion and transaction activity.
This is the latest insight from Filipino tech startup Packworks after analyzing over 1 million monthly transactions for one year from its mobile application within its network of more than 300,000 stores nationwide. The company reported that 213,051 stores from its network actively transacted through its app in 2025, a 21% increase from 176,000 in 2024 and a significant jump from 133,000 in 2023.The study identified the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the Negros Island Region (NIR) as the primary drivers of this nationwide surge. BARMM recorded a staggering 116% increase in active stores. This coincided with a 77% rise in app usage, a 119% boost in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) or store sales, and a 97% rise in transactions. Growth was particularly sharp in the second half of 2025, following the rollout of regional internet connectivity projects. Meanwhile, Negros saw a 58% increase in active stores. App usage jumped 106%, while GMV and transactions surged by 134% and 114%, respectively.
"We are seeing a trend where regional economies are becoming the new centers of growth for the sari-sari store sector. While Metro Manila remains a stable core, seeing a 37% increase in transactions, the rapid growth in regions such as BARMM and Negros suggests that regional store owners are quickly adopting tools to serve a much larger customer base," said Andoy Montiel, Packworks Chief Data Officer.
The data revealed a "quality over quantity" trend in the National Capital Region (NCR). While the total number of transacting stores saw a slight decline, the remaining stores became significantly more efficient. App usage rose by 15%, GMV by 31%, and transactions by 37%. The study also underscored how this regional growth translates to community resilience. Central Visayas demonstrated a strong recovery following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake on September 30. Overall GMV rose by 7%, from nearly PHP 131 million in September to almost PHP 140 million in October, before reaching a high of PHP 158 million in December. Meanwhile, despite being hit by Typhoon Paolo in October 2025, stores in Central Luzon saw a 15% GMV increase, rising from PHP 150 million in September to PHP 172 million in October, and peaking at PHP 199 million by December during the holiday season. These consistent increases reinforce findings from Packworks' previous report, which highlight the historical resilience and continued growth of sari-sari stores as essential lifelines even in disaster-prone regions.
In contrast, the data also highlighted areas for further support. Region XIII (Caraga) saw an 11% growth in the number of stores, but a 15% decline in app usage, likely due to the region's current internet penetration levels, marking an opportunity for future infrastructure development.
“As store owners in the provinces gain access to more resources, they are proving to be the economic backbone of their communities. The surge in the regions shows that sari-sari stores are not just local fixtures, but are evolving businesses capable of driving regional economic momentum," said Packworks co-founder Hubert Yap.
For more studies and data trends insights in sari-sari stores, you may visit http://packworks.io/ or Packworks’ Facebook page to learn more.
[SEOUL, South Korea] YGG Play, the publishing arm of Yield Guild Games, and Verse8, an AI-powered game creation platform, have announced a strategic partnership to host a dedicated $5,000 "Casual Degen" game track as part of BuidlHack 2026. Taking place April 13-19, during the prestigious Korea BUIDL Week, the hackathon invites developers to leverage "vibe coding" and professional publishing expertise to build the next breakout hits in the crypto-native gaming sector.
The hackathon focuses on the "Casual Degen" category, driven by a pioneering thesis by YGG Play. These are lite, fast-paced, "snackable" games designed for players to enjoy on a second screen while they trade NFTs, memecoins, or perps. The category’s potential was recently proven by YGG Play’s flagship title, LOL Land. Launched in May 2025, LOL Land reached a lifetime revenue of $8.2 million by the end of the year, boasting a peak monthly Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU) of $4,263. The figure vastly outperforms traditional mass-market casual games, which typically see an ARPPU of $25 to $50.
By combining Verse8’s generative AI tools with YGG Play’s commercial infrastructure, BuidlHack 2026 participants can move from a simple concept to a monetizable prototype with unprecedented speed. Beyond the $5,000 cash prize pool, winners will split an additional $5,000 in Verse8 platform credits and dedicated ad support to scale their titles. The most promising projects will also gain direct access to Verse8’s investment network and will be reviewed for publishing on YGG Play, unlocking the publisher’s premier player acquisition network, Web3 infrastructure, and global community distribution.
“South Korea is one of the only places where crypto and gaming culture are actually mainstream, with nearly a third of the population active in the market,” said Gabby Dizon, co-founder of Yield Guild Games. “With thousands of PC bangs that serve as social hubs and their history of pioneering esports, Seoul is the natural place to continue building the Casual Degen category. We’re looking for those builders who can take their ideas and turn them into a sustainable business with real revenue.”
BuidlHack is a core fixture of Korea BUIDL Week, an annual series of technical events attracting over 20,000 participants to Seoul, a market where the South Korean won often rivals the US dollar in global crypto trading volume. By combining this liquidity with Korea’s status as a global gaming powerhouse, YGG Play and Verse8 are positioning BuidlHack as the premier incubator for the Casual Degen category.
“The Casual Degen category has proven demand; what it's been missing is velocity. Verse8 was built to eliminate the bottleneck: from idea to playable prototype in days, not months,” said Kevin Lee, CEO of Verse8. “By partnering with YGG Play for BuidlHack, we are providing builders with the tools to generate and remix Web3 experiences instantly, and then plugging them directly into the industry’s most sophisticated publishing and scaling engine.”
YGG Play’s publishing portfolio includes GIGACHADBAT, a baseball title developed by Delabs Games. Delabs is the Web3-focused arm of Korean studio 4:33 Creative Lab, co-founded by James Joonmo Kwon and JC Kim, who also serves as the Director of Solarium, a seed round investor of Verse8. This latest collaboration on the hackathon builds on the established relationship between YGG and Delabs, underscoring their history of working together to further the Casual Degen ecosystem.
The hackathon is open to developers, designers, and crypto enthusiasts, who will be guided throughout the process by Gabby Dizon, Kevin Lee, Hakyong Tae, VP of Business Development at Verse8, and Joe, Game Producer at Raitomira, the studio behind the hit Minesweeper-inspired Casual Degen game, Waifu Sweeper. The judging panel will consist of Joe, Gabby Dizon, Kevin Lee, and JC Kim. Judging criteria may be found here.
To kickstart development, YGG Play and Verse8 hosted an online workshop on March 25, 2026, offering an introduction to vibe coding protocol and the Casual Degen thesis. Wise Kim, VP of Marketing at Verse8, led a live vibe coding session, demonstrating how Verse8’s end-to-end AI agent solution lowers the technical barrier for creators to build and launch games. During the session, Kim transformed a basic natural language prompt into a functional platformer in minutes, highlighting Verse8’s ability to coordinate multiple AI models to handle game logic, asset generation, stage functions, and more.
Dizon and Kim also discussed the core elements of a successful Casual Degen title, with Dizon emphasizing that the best games feature simple, “one-button” mechanics paired with strategic economic loops and a balance of skill and luck. He noted that the efficiency of AI-powered development allows creators to rapidly prototype dozens of ideas to find the most engaging loops. Kim added that the hackathon is a search for serious builders who intend to turn these prototypes into tangible businesses.
A full replay of this session is available on the X account of BAS, co-organizer of BuidlHack 2026.
This preparation leads into "Builder Day" on April 14, an offline gathering in Seoul culminating in the Final Pitch and Project Showcase on April 18. International participants may pitch online, while teams located in South Korea must send at least one member to pitch in person.
How to participate in YGG and Verse8’s Casual Degen hackathon:
For more information on the full suite of bounties and technical tracks, please visit the official BUIDL website: https://www.buidlkorea.com/buidlhack2026
PLDT Inc. (PLDT), the country’s leading integrated telco network, and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), on Wednesday said they will support government efforts to limit access to Roblox as part of a broader push to strengthen online child protection.The commitment comes after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), convened industry players to address safety concerns over the popular social gaming platform.
The government has placed Roblox under strict monitoring after receiving complaints from parents, educators, religious organizations, and the public on the alleged dangers children are being exposed to, including potential ‘violent extremism’.
“We appreciate the readiness of internet service providers to support government measures that aim to keep children safe online,” said Atty. Ella Blanca T. López, NTC Commissioner. “The NTC continues to work closely with industry partners as we assess appropriate actions, including potential access restrictions, to address emerging risks on digital platforms.”
“Protecting children online is a responsibility we share with government and families,” said Atty. Joan de Venecia-Fabul, PLDT Chief Legal Counsel and Head of Regulatory and Strategic Affairs. “We recognize that children are among our most important stakeholders, and we fully support efforts to create a safer digital environment for them.”
How risks emerge on the platform
Roblox, which allows users to create and interact in virtual worlds, has come under scrutiny over how bad actors are able to exploit its open, user-generated environment.
Authorities say these risks typically unfold in stages:
Initial contact through games and chat features: Predators can enter child-focused games and initiate conversations using built-in chat or voice tools, often posing as fellow players.
Migration to private channels: Interactions may move to more private spaces—either within the platform or to external apps—where moderation is weaker.
Grooming and manipulation: Over time, bad actors build trust, sometimes offering in-game currency or items to influence minors.
Exposure to harmful content or activities: This can include sexually explicit material, simulated gambling or wagering systems, or invitations to participate in illicit activities outside the platform.
Lawmakers and regulators have flagged concerns that weak age verification and moderation gaps make it difficult to consistently detect and stop these behaviors at scale.
The CICC had earlier given Roblox 15 days to respond to concerns over alleged illegal activities involving pedophiles and drug traffickers targeting underaged users. As of the latest updates, no response has been received, with the deadline extended to April 10, 2026.
Championing child safety
PLDT and Smart said they will implement any directive once the NTC issues a formal order to all internet service providers to block access to Roblox, consistent with their long-standing collaboration with authorities in restricting access to harmful online content.
The group’s pioneering Child Protection Platform enables content-level blocking of flagged URLs (uniform resource locator), including specific digital materials identified by regulators. The system is designed to go beyond basic website blocking by targeting harmful content at a more granular level, particularly online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).
The telco also works with international child protection organizations such as the UK-based Internet Watch Foundation and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection through its Project Arachnid initiative. Hashes or digital fingerprints of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM) from these groups are immediately integrated into the company’s blocking system.
In the first two months of 2026 alone, PLDT and Smart blocked 176,000 attempts to access content linked to online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC). Since going live in June 2021, the platform has blacklisted more than two million web addresses linked to child abuse.
As regulators continue their review, PLDT and Smart said they remain ready to work with government partners to ensure that digital platforms operating in the country meet appropriate safety standards—particularly when it comes to protecting children.
These initiatives reflect the PLDT Group’s continued commitment to safer digital spaces and support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16, which calls for ending violence against children and strengthening institutions that protect them.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming industries from banking to business services, and the Philippines' leading integrated telco PLDT Inc. (PLDT) is positioning universities and communities to participate in that shift by expanding the infrastructure and training needed to deploy the technology.Speaking at a forum marking the 50th anniversary of the Mendiola Consortium at Centro Escolar University in Manila, Blums Pineda, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Business Group at PLDT and Smart, and PLDT Group AI Business Lead, said universities will play a central role in preparing the workforce for an economy increasingly shaped by machine-assisted decision-making.
“Artificial intelligence is not just another technology cycle,” Pineda said. “It’s a general-purpose technology like electricity or the internet—one that changes how entire industries operate and how professionals do their work.”
AI’s Impact on the Workforce
The shift carries particular weight for the Philippines, whose economy is closely tied to global services and knowledge-based work. Global research shows that roughly 25% to 35% of jobs may be exposed to AI at the level of individual tasks, while only 3% to 5% face a high risk of full displacement.
Instead, the more common outcome is job transformation. That is already visible in the Philippines’ IT-BPM industry, which employs nearly two million workers, where AI supports tasks such as summarizing interactions and retrieving information, allowing workers to focus on more complex and value-driven roles.
“What we’re seeing is not the disappearance of human roles,” Pineda said. “AI handles repetitive tasks, while people focus on decision-making, relationships, and solving more complex problems.”
Universities Under Pressure to Adapt
For universities, the implications go beyond adding new technology courses. Students graduating today will enter a workforce where machines can assist with writing software, analyzing markets, and supporting medical diagnoses.
“Every technological revolution eventually walks into a classroom,” Pineda said. “The difference with AI is that it didn’t politely wait for curriculum committees. It has already arrived.”
The shift is influencing how universities design courses, conduct research, and manage administrative operations, with AI increasingly supporting teaching and analytics. At the same time, institutions are navigating challenges around academic integrity, bias, and responsible AI.
In this space, PLDT Enterprise and ePLDT have also been working closely with universities to support early-stage adoption. One example is an ongoing engagement with De La Salle University (DLSU), where the team is exploring the ePLDT SwiftStart AI Program. Designed as an immersive introduction to generative AI, SwiftStart enables institutions to understand foundational concepts such as prompt engineering while experiencing practical applications using tools like Google Workspace with Gemini.
Building the Infrastructure Behind AI
For the PLDT Group, the critical enabler of AI adoption lies in infrastructure—particularly high-performance computing, connectivity, and secure data environments.
Through its corporate business arm, PLDT Enterprise and subsidiaries ePLDT and VITRO, Inc., which deliver integrated digital, connectivity, and ICT solutions to public and private institutions in the Philippines and abroad, the PLDT Group has been investing in hyperscale data centers capable of supporting AI workloads.
Among them is VITRO Sta. Rosa, the country’s first hyperscale data center designed for AI applications. The facility hosts Pilipinas AI, a sovereign AI solutions stack that allows organizations to run AI workloads while keeping data within Philippine borders.
“The invisible infrastructure behind AI—fiber networks, computing power, and data centers—will determine how quickly institutions can innovate,” Pineda said.
Expanding Access to AI
Beyond infrastructure, PLDT and Smart are expanding access to AI through initiatives such as AI-in-a-Box, which provides literacy training, connectivity, and practical tools for institutions. “Technology only transforms society when ordinary institutions can use it,” Pineda said.
Ultimately, preparing students for an AI-driven economy will require not only technical knowledge but also skills that machines cannot easily replicate, including critical thinking, ethical judgment, and interdisciplinary problem-solving.
“The future of AI in education won’t be determined by how quickly we buy new tools,” Pineda said. “It will be determined by how carefully we build the systems behind them.”
The PLDT Group’s efforts support its commitment to inclusive innovation, quality education, and workforce development aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Manila, Philippines - Ahead of the publication of its March 2026 balance sheet, UNO Digital Bank announces an achievement of a positive operating margin (before provisions) as of February 2026. This marks a key transition for the four-year-old bank from early-stage investment to a sustainable, growth-oriented operating model, underpinned by disciplined growth and strong execution.Manish Bhai, President and CEO of UNO Digital Bank, remarks, “Achieving operating break-even at this stage is an important validation of our model. Our focus remains that of building a bank with strong fundamentals: that is, balancing growth with credit discipline and operational efficiency.”
Building a Resilient Digital Credit Platform
In four years, UNO has expanded formal credit access in the Philippines while maintaining strict portfolio quality and risk discipline. The bank's performance is driven by its rapid lending expansion. Total loan disbursements have reached ₱15 billion, with the bank on track to grow its active loan book to over ₱10 billion by the end of 2026.
To bridge the credit gap, UNO Digital Bank leverages a real-time underwriting engine that goes beyond traditional credit history. By analyzing modern data points, the bank can accurately assess creditworthiness for a broader range of Filipinos, providing formal credit to those often overlooked by traditional institutions.
The bank continues to strengthen its risk management capabilities, especially across fraud detection and with industry collaboration. By integrating real-time behavioral analytics with cross-industry data sharing, the bank is moving from reactive security to proactive prevention, ensuring a more resilient platform for digital credit.
“Our goal is, and has always been, to make banking simple and accessible,” Bhai adds. “We firmly believe customer value and operational discipline must go hand in hand.”
Prioritizing Security and Seamless Access
As it has from its inception, UNO Digital Bank remains dedicated to delivering a simple, secure, and accessible banking experience to all Filipinos. To further its mission of accessibility, UNO now offers free QR Ph transfers for all customers, eliminating friction for everyday digital payments.
Furthermore, as the Philippine banking industry moves toward phasing out SMS-based One-Time Passwords (OTPs), UNO Digital Bank is one of the few local institutions to combine top-tier security with zero-cost transactions.
"We recognized early on that OTPs were becoming a vulnerability," Bhai reiterates. "Since inception, our two-factor authentication (2FA) procedures have ensured our customers are protected by the highest security standards available today.”
“While we continue to support various industry integrations, our core app experience has been biometric-led from day one. This ensures our customers are protected by the most secure and seamless authentication standards available in the market today."
Looking Ahead
Kalidas Ghose, Chairman of UNO Digital Bank, states: “UNO Digital Bank is focused and on track to achieve full P&L breakeven within the current year, 2026. We are committed to scaling responsibly. Soon we will introduce new channels and products.”
Over the next six months, UNO Digital Bank will further enhance its digital experience, expand its credit offerings, and continue investing in distribution to reach a broader segment of the Filipino market.
