skills development administration ( tesda ), the bsp will develop a financial literacy course, [ which will be ] a massive open online course offered in the tesda online program. through this course, we can further expand our reach to over four million technical - vocational education and training learners. the digital landscape and the digital payments transformation roadmap the bsp advocates for ( i ) digital financial services through its policy work and ( ii ) digital financial literacy through its advocacy work. under the bsp's digital payments transformation roadmap, we aim to have half of all retail transactions go digital by 2023 and 7 in 10 filipinos to own formal transaction accounts. the bsp is on track to reach these targets through its trifecta of financial inclusion, financial education, and consumer protection programs and policies. in cooperation with our partners, the bsp also executes digital literacy campaigns and embeds cyber hygiene lessons in our fin - ed training programs. so, what can you expect in the next five days of the fined expo? this afternoon, we will hear from our government agency partners as they share their fin - ed milestones and programs. on tuesday afternoon, we will learn about digital payments, qr ph [ national quick response code standard ], and digital banking in our panel discussions. on wednesday morning, we will also learn about responsible debt management and strategies to get out of debt for filipinos from all walks of life. this will be followed by a learning session on financial planning and risk management in the afternoon, featuring stories of financial struggles and successes from our surprise guests. join us on thursday afternoon as experts discuss investment options, such as government saving programs, retirement accounts, and stocks, as well as the regulators'take on virtual assets and nfts [ non - fungible tokens ], among others. finally, we culminate the expo on friday by showcasing examples of innovative financial education initiatives : ( i ) a financial education talk show for families, ( ii ) a livelihood program for persons with disabilities, and ( iii ) an online financial literacy campaign for filipino adults. 3 / 4 bis - central bankers'speeches for our registered participants, come and visit the learning resource center on the expo app to access and download the bsp's materials on economic and financial education for free. we invite you to visit the exhibit hall and fill in your virtual passports for a chance to win exciting prizes. this year, we also added expo - themed

amando m tetangco, jr : strengthening partnerships for a more resilient banking system remarks by mr amando m tetangco, jr, governor of the central bank of the philippines ( bangko sentral ng pilipinas ), at the thanksgiving dinner hosted by the aig philam savings bank, inc., makati city, 23 november 2006. * * * thank you ched. former central bank governor and now philamlife president and ceo jose cuisia, jr., mr. ridha wirakusumah of aig asia, other officers and staff of the philamlife - aig family, fellow bankers, special guests. good evening! i am glad i am here to witness what you call the gala premier to celebrate the merger of philam savings bank and aig credit card company philippines which gives birth to aig philam savings bank. to us in the banking sector, this strategic move by the philamlife group and aig to consolidate their consumer finance businesses will further strengthen the bank ’ s financial position and boost its competitive edge. ultimately, this should translate to a more efficient and reliable delivery of financial products and services to the public. to central bankers like me who are responsible for keeping the banking sector sound, healthy, and responsive to the needs of the economy, this is welcome news indeed. my former boss, former central bank governor joey cuisia, will attest to this. in fact, it has been the policy of the bangko sentral ng pilipinas to encourage mergers and consolidation …. so that we will have stronger and more globally competitive banks. thus, those keeping track of developments in the banking community will realize that the aig philam savings bank is the latest outcome in a series of mergers that have been taking place as our banks gear up for increasing competition. in this period of global convergence where competition is the norm and banks are measured against rigorous standards, one strategy that enhances the likelihood of survival and sustained viability is to go the way of mergers and consolidation. in this regard, we foresee a scenario of fewer but more financially powerful universal and commercial banks that are better able to compete in a world of more open borders. however, this is not to say that there will be no place in the evolving financial environment for smaller banks such as thrift and rural banks. in fact, smaller specialist banks cover important niche markets that have unique needs ; for instance, consumer trade and