With the theme of Eco-Express: Steering Impact Towards Sustainable Finance, the Junior Financial Executive-PUP held its 8th Metro Finance Congress on June 13, 2024, at Bulwagang Balagtas in PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila.
With the theme of Eco-Express: Steering Impact Towards Sustainable Finance, the Junior Financial Executive-PUP held its 8th Metro Finance Congress on June 13, 2024, at Bulwagang Balagtas in PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila.
The first panel discussion was headed by three speakers from different financial institutions namely Mr. Lloyd Christian Calvario from GCash, Mr. Fermin Luis Barrenechea III, MABE, CsC from Museigen.io, and Mr. Mhikko Ilagan from Payreto. Their discussion falls under the same theme which is “A Sustainable Future: Harnessing Financial Advancements.”
Mr. Calvario started his talk by discussing how GCash contributes to sustainability through its different application features. According to him, some of Gcash goals are to reduce the unbanked population of Filipinos by giving them easy access to financial services, give them access to finances through loans, encourage saving, and reduce the carbon footprint by allowing users to connect with other banks in the comforts of their home.
As he stated, “One of the problems of not opening Gsave is because consumers are unfamiliar with it.”
Following his discussion is Mr. Barrenchea who discussed the importance of utilizing blockchains. He emphasized how the use of blockchain improves the quality of financial services as it allows for a faster delivery. He also added how technologies like cellphones are in excess of 50% carbon footprint and encourages them to reach financial services.
During the last part of the discussion, Mr. Ilagan then focused on discussing “Sustainable Finance: Leveraging Fintech for Inclusion and Development.” During his talk, he highlighted the importance of fintechs in the economy, particularly on how it reduces transaction csots, promotes financial inclusion, and reduce inequality for individuals who are not privileged enough to afford a credit card.
The second panel discussion was discussed by profound speakers from different industries — Mr. Raphael Bustamante of Col Financial, Mr. Andro Leo Beltran of Metrobank Group, and Ms. Shaina Cruzat of Pru Life — who highlighted the importance of the theme “Harmony in Sustainability: Integrating Ethics, Investment, and Insurance.”
Mr. Bustamante started the discussion by emphasizing the importance of investing and its common misconception where some people thought that investment is for wealthy people only. He also pointed out the significance of being ethical and responsible as these characteristics are crucial in the finance field and can go a long way.
According to him, when one is involved in the finance industry, people can take advantage of one’s level of financial literacy.
“ If we don’t address the issue of financial literacy in the Philippines, at the end of the day, the normal Filipino will lose their money. “
The panel discussion continued as the second guest speaker, Mr. Beltran from Metrobank group, talked about the theme “Eco-express: Steering Impact Towards Sustainable Finance.” In his presentation, he emphasized that people can't create something out of nothing and in order to create something, one must start – even if it means starting small.
Mr. Beltran stressed that people’s money doesn't need time to rest. According also to him:
“You only get multiple streams of income if you create multiple sources of income.”
As an associate unit manager and licensed financial consultant of Pru Life UK, the third speaker, Ms. Cruzat, highlighted the importance of having insurance especially because death is inevitable and unforeseen circumstances may happen anytime.
According to her presentation, there are 111,000,000 Filipinos but only 4% are insured. This statistics shows how most of the Filipinos are still hesitant to get insurance even up to this day.
After the second panel discussion, the event carried on to the next segment which was Breakout Session: Career Talk where various professionals talked about career and shared insightful messages.
Starting off with the first speaker, Ms. Micheline Vina J. Pe Lim from BDO Unibank, discussed some of the career opportunities waiting for the students in the corporate world; few of them are accounting assistant, credit assistant, loans assistant, associate relationship manager, credit analyst, audit trainee.
She also mentioned some of the important attributes that one must possess, these characteristics are being agile, collaborative, inventive, solid, confident, and competitive.
Following the discussion for the career talk, the second speaker, Ms. Katherine Ricafort from Personiv, elaborated the importance of the 3 pillars in the organization which are people, quality, and giving back. She pointed out the significance of giving back to the community and ensuring that the people have continuous learning.
“The only limitation that you have in the organization is your willingness to learn. As long as you're willing to learn, the possibilities are endless. "
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