The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) successfully pitched the capital market as an accessible source of funding to Visayas-based micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Cebu City during the second leg of its nationwide roadshow. The Commission continued the Roadshow on Capital Market Formation for MSMEs and Start-ups in Cebu, attracting more than a hundred onsite participants and 185 virtual participants. Participants consisted of executives from companies, business groups, and government agencies such as the Cebu Chamber of Commerce, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Provincial Government of Cebu, among others. The initiative aims to harness the potential of MSMEs for further growth, in line with President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr.’s thrust to provide different financing options for small businesses. “This government recognizes that MSMEs are the backbone of a resilient national economy, due to their nature of stimulating domestic demand through job creation, innovation, and competition,” SEC Commissioner Karlo S. Bello said in his keynote speech. He noted that, “In fact, the Philippines’ MSME network accounts for 99.5 percent of the total businesses in the country, hires 63 percent of the local workforce, constitutes 25 percent of the country’s total exports, and contributes around 40 percent to the national GDP.” The Commission presented crowdfunding, among others, as an accessible and convenient means for such businesses to secure funds for expansion. Crowdfunding is a fundraising activity typically conducted by startups and SMEs, where the public can support or fund a business idea through an online platform. Executives from SeedIn Technology, Inc., Investree Philippines, and Eastern Securities Development Corporation (Round One)— which are registered crowdfunding intermediaries registered with the SEC— discussed the advantages of crowdfunding and how MSMEs and start-ups can tap their services. Participants were also given an opportunity to engage in personal consultations with the platforms’ officials during break-out sessions. As of December 2022, over 200 businesses have successfully raised capital through the platforms of Investree and Seedin Technology. SeedIn Technology’s platform alone has seen a total of P1.34 billion raised funds for 259 projects during the same period. Meanwhile, Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. President Ramon S. Monzon and Investment and Capital Corporation of the Philippines President and CEO Valentino S. Bagatsing discussed the benefits of listing on the stock market for expanding one’s business. Homegrown property developer Cebu Landmasters also shared its journey toward conducting its P15 billion initial public offering in 2018. The roadshow was led by the newly created SEC Office for the Advancement of Strategic Investments in SMEs (OASIS), which was established with the aim of encouraging SMEs to consider the capital market as a financing option. After Davao and Cebu, the Commission will bring its monthly roadshow to other areas in the country, including Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Bacolod, Legazpi, Iloilo, Tarlac, Baguio, the CALABARZON region, and Metro Manila for the rest of the year.