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| [L-R] Jose Mendoza, Country Manager for Southeast Asia of Bitget_ David Hsiao, Chief Marketing Officer of Morph_ Eli Rabadon, Chief Executive Officer of DVCode_ and Raymond Babst, Chief Executive Officer of DA5, foll |
The Philippines is positioned to lead the global shift toward stablecoin-based remittances, provided it prioritizes developer education and formalizes regulatory pathways, according to fintech and blockchain leaders at the recent “Settle In! Manila” panel organized by Morph and Bitget’s Blockchain4Her and Blockchain For Youth initiatives.
The discussion focused on the global rise of stablecoins and the future of digital payments, with experts emphasizing the country’s potential to become a regional leader in blockchain-powered financial solutions.
Over one million OFWs send remittances home annually through channels that charge fees as high as six percent and take days to clear. Stablecoin transfers, by contrast, can settle near-instantly at a fraction of the cost — a difference that directly impacts household income for millions of Filipino families. OFW remittances rose 3.5 percent in January 2026 despite seasonal slowdowns, underscoring the country’s continued and growing dependence on these flows.
“The Philippines is one of the countries and regions that stand to benefit the most from stablecoin technology, whether through lower costs or faster settlement,” said David Hsiao, Chief Marketing Officer of Morph, a blockchain settlement platform.
“The country is ground zero for the shift from a playground for speculation to a mission-critical rail for real-world utility,” he added, citing Morph’s recently launched Universal Settlement Layer backed by a $150 million Payment Accelerator designed to support the trillion-dollar stablecoin economy.
Global market trends reinforce that outlook. Bitget Country Manager for Southeast Asia Jose Mendoza noted that stablecoin use for payroll and B2B invoices grew by more than 60 percent over the past year. Bitget Wallet card spending surged 28-fold, while Visa-issued crypto card spending jumped 525 percent, signaling a clear shift from speculation to practical, real-world payments.
“Our goal is to make stablecoin payments feel local and familiar,” Mendoza said. “Users shouldn’t need to understand the underlying complexity. By supporting builders focused on ‘invisible tech,’ we ensure the end user simply experiences payments that are 10 times faster and significantly cheaper.”
Eli Rabadon, Chief Executive Officer of DVCode, emphasized the developer gap.
“The technology is ready. What we need now is education and clarity so builders can integrate stablecoins into apps that everyday Filipinos will actually use,” Rabadon said. “There’s huge potential to create real-world utility that touches lives immediately.”
He added that Filipino developers — alongside the country’s large base of freelancers and remote workers already paid in digital currencies — are a natural engine for stablecoin adoption, but need structured support to build compliant products at scale.
On the regulatory front, Raymond Babst, Chief Executive Officer of DA5, argued that the country’s existing virtual asset framework is a competitive advantage that must be activated.
“The Philippines already has a regulatory framework for virtual assets that can position us ahead of other Asian markets,” Babst said.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has reviewed stablecoin proposals and conducted pilot tests, but panelists called for accelerated timelines as global adoption continues to outpace local policy development.
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