The Manila Tech Summit 2026 is expected to bring together more than 4,000 global policymakers, regulators, investors, and technology leaders as the Philippines takes on a larger role in shaping ASEAN’s digital economy agenda.
FinTech Alliance.PH said the summit, set on July 28 to 29, 2026 at the Manila Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom in Pasay City, will serve as a regional platform to advance the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), which aims to enable smoother cross-border digital trade, interoperable payments, and more aligned regulations across Southeast Asia.
“As ASEAN Chair, the Philippines has a decisive opportunity to move DEFA from aspiration to execution. The Manila Tech Summit 2026 is designed as a working platform, aligning policy, capital, and technology to enable trusted cross border ecosystems,” said Lito Villanueva, founding chair of FinTech Alliance.PH.
He added that the goal is to build a digital economy that is “interoperable, secure, and inclusive at scale.”
Organized by FinTech Alliance.PH with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines, Asia FinTech Alliance, ASEAN FinTech Forum, and ASEAN Innovation Business Platform, the event has backing from major government agencies, including the Office of the President, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Finance, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Information and Communications Technology.
The summit agenda will focus on making DEFA operational through real-world frameworks and investments. Key topics include agentic AI (artificial intelligence systems that can act autonomously), stablecoins and cross-border finance, digital payments, cybersecurity, and data governance.
“The Digital Economy Framework Agreement will be transformative for ASEAN. Our focus is to reduce friction in digital trade, empower MSMEs to scale regionally, and ensure innovation translates into inclusive growth,” said Secretary Cristina Roque of the Department of Trade and Industry.
The event follows discussions at the recent ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in Cebu, where leaders reaffirmed cooperation on digital infrastructure, trusted innovation, and regional resilience as core drivers of growth.
The summit will also launch the 2026 Philippine FinTech Report, which is expected to serve as a reference for policymakers, investors, and development agencies.
Sponsors include TransUnion, Converge ICT Solutions Inc., Huawei, Advanced Finance Solutions, Inc. (Skyro), Advance AI, Grab, Coins.ph, IDfy, Phi Commerce, Amdocs, and Blockshoals. Participation is also expected from members of the Asia FinTech Alliance across 16 economies, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Israel, Hungary, UAE, Luxembourg, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia.