(Waterfront Hotel, Cebu. Sep 22-24, 2015)

On the morning of September 22, high level participants-- from policy makers and industry heavyweights to NGO and development agency leaders of all kinds -- converged at DSDS 2015 to discuss the topics of digital inclusion (younger generations in particular), women as part of growing industries and SME development for the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union (ITU) of the United Nations, keynoted the summit encouraging strategic SME partnerships for greater connectivity to foster an environment of mutual growth. Other speakers from the Asian Development Bank, Department of Science and Technology, ASSIST, Intel, Microsoft and Accenture described initiatives on inclusiveness through Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the areas of education, employment, poverty reduction and gender equality.

We were given the opportunity to present the CreditBPO Rating Report, our SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) credit rating tool for SMEs, to a distinguished audience during the breakout session titled “ICT Innovation Solution Showcase”. Other successful initiatives presented alongside us, showcasing concrete solutions borne from innovative ideas made possible by technology to promote SME development and entrepreneurship.

Particularly noteworthy during the breakout Q&A was the keen interest expressed in our rating platform by LGUs and NGOs in the audience. Forward-thinking LGUs are looking to raise their constituent-SMEs’ adoption of best practice as well as encourage a transparent evaluation process of applications for their own loan programs. Non-profits similarly see the value of scaling up their social enterprises “so that we can identify the strategic actions and interventions to take”. In the past, we did not consider the LGU and NGO audience as primary users. Learning of the need for our rating platform is an eye-opener for us and a great opportunity for mutual benefit.

We look forward to working with local governments and multilateral development institutions in crafting lasting partnerships. Doing so will make possible the adoption of a credit rating process and pre-qualifying standard as the supporting web of interaction between SME, LGU and NGO sectors as well as their stakeholders. It is a definite first step to a fertile business environment and increased opportunities for aspiring business owners.