Nelson Morales

Boardroom Tea: Who's who in Money 20/20 Bangkok

Article (news)

Salve Ibaňez

ABS-CBN News

Money 20/20 Asia filled the impressive and huge Queen Sirikit National Convention Center with regulators, disruptors, and digital bank chiefs — and a handful of Filipinos who quietly owned the room.Moritz Gastl of Tala Financing Philippines is far more well-connected than most people realize — from within the fintech ecosystem all the way to show business. Do not mistake this for just a pretty face. Behind that exterior is a highly cerebral, very eloquent General Manager who held his space on every stage — whether across from regulators or alongside global thought leaders. Not a recluse, but not an attention-grabber either. <div>Before leading Tala Philippines, he moved through Bolttech, served as VP for Growth at First Circle, and cut his teeth in banking and crypto. Under his watch, Tala has served over 4.5 million Filipinos and made Forbes’ Fintech 50 for nine consecutive years. Please don’t send him the link to today’s column. I genuinely don’t know what he’ll make of the limelight.<img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776861520332fintech asia.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div>Arianne Ferrer, also of Tala and in her second year as CLAP president, moderated a panel at the MoneyPot stage that I genuinely enjoyed. Well-informed but never overreaching. The kind of voice that makes you lean in rather than check your phone. What struck me most: she cares enough to do her homework — but is just as willing to let others’ voices be heard more than hers. Rare.Imelda “Ida” Tiongson, President and CEO of Opal Portfolio Investments, was on the SME lending panel — and the smart outfits alone would make her stand out anywhere. But it’s the 22-year banking career, the governance chops, and the very grounded understanding of what lending actually means to the underserved that keeps her on every shortlist. She was booked for multiple panels. Lito Villanueva, Founding Chairman of FinTech Alliance PH, was at the center of everything — as usual. Now, I’m not supposed to tell you this, but I overheard him talking about an upcoming awards mechanism targeting one of fintech’s most stubborn frontiers: cross-border payments. Only banks can do this today. Fintech players have been circling for years, hungry to build something faster, cheaper, and more secure. This award, if the tea I sipped is accurate, could be the vehicle. But this is only tea, darlings. Abangan.Melchor “Mhel” Plabasan, Senior Director of BSP’s Technology Risk and Innovation Supervision Department, was perpetually double-booked across closed-door regulatory sessions. As deep into tech and innovation as a BSP official can get. Getting Mhel in a room is half the battle won.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776862832955download.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div>SEC Commissioner Rogelio Quevedo — “youngest” by appointment — was very much animated about FinLend, the SEC’s financing and lending department. (The well-meaning joke is a very IYKYK kind of thing. Peace Comm. Quevedo) He has been vocal about pushing supervision of lending companies entirely to the BSP, calling it “one big headache” for a commission whose expertise lies in securities, not consumer credit. Lolo energy on the outside. Razor sharp on the inside.And Wei Zu of Coins.ph was apparently in Bangkok too — I didn’t spot him personally, but my source is Lito, who sees everyone and forgets no one.<div>MY OWN COMPETITION</div>If Lito has his cross-border payments awards, I have mine — and it’s on television this Saturday.On April 26, from 7 to 7:30 p.m. on SkyCable, Cignal, and iWant, Episode 1 of The Impact Challenge premieres. Replays air every Monday from 4 to 4:30 p.m.This blocktime show is produced by the Rotary Club of San Juan Supreme during my term as Club President — and it is the first of its kind in the entire Rotary universe and on Philippine television. Think Shark Tank meets American Idol, but for service projects, not startups or singing careers. Filipino youth organizations compete for grants by executing real projects aligned with Rotary’s seven areas of focus: basic education, environment, maternal and child health, peace, disease prevention, water and sanitation, and growing local economies. Each winning team received P100,000 in grants, is executing their projects for 70 days, and returns to Manila in May to report on impact, a real talk on challenges, and sustainability.Just like angel investors, our sponsors wrote the first check before the proof of concept could even air. Special thanks to our co-presenter PayMongo — CEO Jojo Malolos, your emphasis on impact had us tirelessly going.Our Diamond Sponsors: CreativeImpact Inc., CARD MRI, COL Financial,, Domo Domo, SM Investments Corporation, UnionDigital Bank, Astoria Hotels and Resorts, Executive Genesis, and 7AM Productions.Our Gold Sponsors: Global Dollarstore, JBL, Philippine Franchise Association Inc., RAF International Forwarding Phils. Inc., SPDeloraya Job Contracting &amp; Consultancy Services Inc., and University of the Philippines.Our Silver Sponsors: Airspeed International, Italpinas Development Corp. and Lobien Realty Group., and Destileria Limtuaco.And our In-Kind Partners: Bayo, Fashion Interiors, Ferino’s, and Guevarra’s, Skybar, and Solaire North.As we ‘80s girls say: I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it.<div>DESIGN AS AN ACT OF JUSTICE</div>Fifty-three Interior Design students from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde completed a four-month renovation of the recreational hall and bakery-kitchen of De La Salle Bahay Pag-asa in Dasmariñas, Cavite — a shelter for children in conflict with the law. Today, April 22, they hold their turnover ceremony: Hulma ng Pag-Asa, Kislap ng SIGLA. These students didn’t just fulfill an academic requirement. They designed dignity into a space where young people are trying to find their second chance.

Money 20/20 Asia filled the impressive and huge Queen Sirikit National Convention Center with regulators, disruptors, and digital bank chiefs — and a handful of Filipinos who quietly owned the room.

Money 20/20 Asia filled the impressive and huge Queen Sirikit National Convention Center with regulators, disruptors, and digital bank chiefs — and a handful of Filipinos who quietly owned the room.