Achievements, future projects take the spotlight at UnionBank’s E-TalkTales year-ender event

In celebration of its numerous accomplishments and milestones this past year, and to give a small preview of what its customers can expect in 2022, Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) held another iteration of its long-running virtual media roundtable series E-TalkTales last December 15.

During the virtual event, UnionBank Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Technology and Operations Officer, and Chief Transformation Officer Henry Aguda talked about some of the Bank's achievements for the year, while the Co-Founder and CEO of UnionBank's digital-native banking arm UnionDigital, Arvie de Vera, talked about the role that the newly formed digital bank will play in UnionBank's digital transformation journey going forward.

Opening the Archipelago: Local Authors Chronicle PH Blockchain Story in New Book

Nathan Marasigan

Centuries after the age of Discovery, the Digital Era, fueled by thriving innovation, still parallels its ancient predecessor in spirit: to explore unknown areas and to cultivate opportunities towards positive development. 

In this day and age, digital transformation has become an imperative for institutions and businesses to thrive in the digital era. Emerging technologies such as blockchain have provided unparalleled opportunities to accelerate innovation. In the Philippines, we have seen a blossoming of blockchain use cases in various sectors such as finance, art, gaming and education to name a few.

To spur the general public towards a deeper understanding of blockchain and its role in the future of Philippine society, co-authors Henry Aguda, Catherine Casas, and Atty. Nathan Marasigan launched their new book entitled Opening the Archipelago: The Story of Blockchain in the Philippines, which is published by Bookshelf PH, a publishing house and online marketplace for local books, eBooks,and audiobooks. The authors hope that the information in the book demystifies blockchain, enabling more Filipinos to build businesses around this new technology.  As either the next step towards true financial inclusion or the next big virtual revolution, the book aims to localize the blockchain uprising and give Filipinos a glimpse into how blockchain can transform local industries - from finance and banking, to education and even governance. 

The authors elaborate on this in their new book, Opening the Archipelago: the Story of Blockchain in the Philippines. Told in three parts, the book describes the foundations of blockchain, the cutting-edge use cases and initiatives of the technology in the Philippines, and the regulatory environment in the space.