benjamin e diokno : unlocking opportunities at the local level speech by mr benjamin e diokno, governor of bangko sentral ng pilipinas ( bsp, the central bank of the philippines ), at the investment forum on energy transition, 19 may 2021. * * * his excellency daniel robert pruce, british ambassador to the philippines, department of finance ( dof ) secretary carlos g. dominguez, department of energy ( doe ) secretary alfonso g. cusi, governor dakila carlo cua, national president of the union of local authorities of the philippines ( ulap ), distinguished speakers, expert panelists, and participants, good afternoon! i would like to take this opportunity to thank the british embassy manila, the dof, doe, ulap and securities and exchange commission, for co - organizing this dialogue among our key stakeholders and leading the discussion on how the country can address the challenges in its energy transition and accelerate the action moving forward. this dialogue comes at an opportune time as the country has recently submitted its nationally determined contributions ( ndc ) 1 to the un framework convention on climate change, vowing to reduce its projected carbon emissions by 75 percent by the year 2030. indeed, this development provides us a clearer direction and a greater impetus to work together in combatting climate change and ensuring sustainable development for the filipino people. in the same light, the bsp joined the “ green force ” to support the creation of a harmonized and cohesive plan in mainstreaming green and sustainable finance in the country. last march 15, 2021, the philippine financial sector regulators and authorities led by the dof signed a memorandum of understanding with the british embassy to collaborate on the implementation of proposed interventions under the united kingdom prosperity fund ’ s asean economic reform programme and the asean low carbon energy programme. respectively, these programs aim to promote economic and sustainable development as well as improve energy security and access to clean energy in the country. the program likewise supports the green force ’ s initiatives in building capacity of relevant government agencies and industry players with regards to sustainable finance implementation and in crafting a sustainable finance roadmap and principles - based taxonomy. the development of the taxonomy is a key initiative aimed at providing guidance on identifying economic activities that contribute to sustainable development, with special focus on addressing climate change impact. central to the climate change mitigation goal is the need to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations by shifting fossil fuels to renewable sources. we should note

benjamin e diokno : supporting the digitalization of microfinance institutions speech by mr benjamin e diokno, governor of bangko sentral ng pilipinas ( bsp, the central bank of the philippines ), at the 29th append ( alliance of philippine partners for enterprise development ) leadership conference, 10 november 2021. * * * good day to the leaders and client - members of the alliance of philippine partners for enterprise development or append, led by president and ceo virginia juan and chairman angel de leon, jr. greetings as well to the host of the 29th append leadership conference, tulay sa pag - unlad, incorporated. thank you for inviting the bangko sentral ng pilipinas to take part in this important event. we are always delighted to engage with the microfinance community, our chief partners in promoting financial inclusion in the countryside. the microfinance community is no stranger to servant leadership. from officers taking voluntary pay cuts to members distributing relief goods to the needy, your collective response has served as an outstanding example of leadership through crisis. we commend append particularly for its food cart for nanays program, which provides seed capital to poor families affected by the pandemic. this is a worthy undertaking in its aim to help filipinos regain dignity of work. our gains in financial inclusion clearly owe much to your dedication to serve the country ’ s unbanked and the underserved. microfinance non - governmental organizations or mf - ngos remain the major sources of formal credit and drivers of account penetration among the rural population and the country ’ s poorest. moreover, microfinance institutions or mfis are helping us propel digitalization, with 96 % of mfis citing digital payments as a primary initiative followed by 72 % citing mobile app or online platform launching. we are glad that append has taken the digital leap forward with appendpay to help clients and mfis participate in the digital finance ecosystem. as a registered operator of payment system, appendpay can serve as a model for digital adoption in the industry. however, we also know these efforts come at a cost. we are thus working to further ensure mfis are equally placed alongside big industry players and well - positioned to advance financial inclusion beyond the pandemic. under our digital payments transformation roadmap, we envision 70 % of filipino adults will own a transaction account and at least 50 % of payment transactions