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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider Philippines eyes tech-focused stock board by first half of 2026

Philippines eyes tech-focused stock board by first half of 2026

Published Jan 27, 2026 12:58 pm  |  Updated Jan 27, 2026 01:13 pm
The government is considering expanding the Philippine Stock Exchange’s (PSE) listing boards to three, including a Nasdaq-style board focused solely on emerging technology companies.
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda said the government is planning to establish an “emerging technology board” to encourage digital companies to list on the public bourse.
“Right now, we're still doing the technical evaluation,” Aguda told reporters, noting that government agencies led by the Department of Finance (DOF) are now prepping the board’s policies.
Patterned after the Nasdaq Stock Market, the new board would serve as a dedicated platform for tech firms with high-growth potential that may not yet meet the capitalization requirements of the PSE’s Main and small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) Boards.
Based on PSE’s listing rules, a company seeking entry to the Main Board must post a stockholders’ equity of at least ₱500 million for the most recent fiscal year. By contrast, the SME Board lowers the bar to at least ₱25 million.
While the threshold for emerging companies is still being finalized, Aguda said it would likely exempt profitable tech companies such as Globe Fintech Innovations, Inc. (Mynt), which operates the mobile wallet GCash, and digital bank Maya.
He said the government wants to encourage tech startups and companies that are on track for growth and strong profitability.
Among the examples he cited are motorcycle taxi service firms Angkas and Move It, payment platform Bayad, and live streaming app Kumu.
Through the tech board, Aguda said the Philippines could replicate the success of stock markets in other countries on an upward trajectory, largely driven by technology companies.
“We should do the same. So we'll start this year. That's the order of the President,” he said.
Aguda said he hopes the new board's policies will be finalized in the first half of the year.
He said PSE President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ramon Monzon and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairperson Francis Lim earlier expressed their support for the initiative.
“When you have a policy that we have an emerging tech board, then [the] next [step] would be execution. The execution depends on if there are companies that want to list,” he added.
According to Aguda, around 15 companies have already signified interest in listing on the third board.
This effort forms part of the government’s broader initiative to breathe new life to the local stock market. Just last week, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) partnered with the PSE to help medium and large enterprises go public.
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