In a major push to drive digital financial inclusion, Ant International, the International Finance Corp. (IFC), and Philippine finance super app GCash are developing a new Sustainability Impact Scorecard.
The tool is specifically designed to make it easier for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to track their environmental and social impact, adopt sustainable business practices, and align with global ESG standards.
Bridging the MSME financing gap
In the Philippines, MSMEs account for 99.6 per cent of all businesses and employ over two-thirds of the national workforce. Despite this massive economic footprint, limited access to financing remains a critical, ongoing challenge for these merchants.
By leveraging the GCash ecosystem alongside metrics tailored directly to the Philippine market, the new Scorecard aims to provide local MSMEs with clear, accessible pathways to measure their sustainability performance.
The Scorecard is designed to serve as a practical benchmark that will:
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Help businesses clearly demonstrate their existing sustainability practices.
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Build the credibility necessary to effectively engage with modern investors and lenders.
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Unlock new access to sustainable financing and green capital to support business growth.
Winsley Bangit, GCash group head for new businesses, highlighted the practical value of the tool.
“For MSMEs, this is a game-changer,” Bangit stated. “It provides visibility into their environmental and social impact and credibility that can attract green capital and partnerships.”
Integrating AI and driving resilience
The partnership focuses on ensuring small businesses are not left behind in the global push for sustainability. Carrie Suen, vice president and head of global affairs and strategic development at Ant International, noted the importance of delivering accessible technology to smaller enterprises.
“Through our collaboration with GCash and IFC, we are making technologies such as AI more accessible to local MSMEs, empowering them to participate in the next wave of sustainable digital transformation,” Suen explained. “This scorecard serves as a vital tool for future innovation, reinforcing that true environmental sustainability integrates social and economic impact, and it must never be sidelined.”
Christina Ongoma, IFC East Asia and the Pacific Regional advisory manager for the financial institutions group, echoed this sentiment.
“MSMEs play a critical role across markets,” Ongoma added. “By equipping them with the right tools, we can strengthen resilience, support adaptation, and enable sustainable growth at scale.”
A phased rollout with regional ambitions
The new partnership builds directly upon discussions held at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, as well as Ant International’s Programme Sirius, an initiative launched in 2024 to support MSMEs in taking their first steps toward sustainability.
With GCash acting as the official pilot partner, the project aims to translate broad global sustainability commitments into practical, data-driven digital solutions for underserved communities.
The Scorecard pilot will roll out in distinct phases across the Philippines, beginning with ecosystem assessments and stakeholder engagement. This will be followed by the development of the scorecard itself, rigorous validation, and field testing. Following the pilot, learnings from the program will inform the potential scaling of the scorecard across the wider Asia-Pacific region.
