BPI SEAL-BETA program helps micro enterprises expand amid the pandemic

BPI Direct BanKo Financial Inclusion and Microfinance Head Rodolfo Mabiasen, Jr., BPI Direct BanKo President Jerome Minglana, Philippine Trade Training Center Executive Director Nelly Nita Dillera, and BPI Foundation Executive Director Owen Cammayo signed the Memorandum of Agreement for the BPI SEAL-SEGA program during its launch at the PTTC Building in Pasay City.

BPI Foundation, the social development arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), sealed a partnership with BPI Direct BanKo, the microfinance arm of BPI, the Philippine Trade Training Center – Global MSME Academy (PTTC-GMEA), and the Department of Trade and Industry – Regional Operation Group (DTI-ROG) to empower micro and small enterprises (MSEs) through its Small Enterprise Acceleration Lab – Business Expansion thru Training and Application or SEAL-BETA program. 

BPI SEAL-BETA is a comprehensive integrated training program designed exclusively for qualified micro and small enterprises affected by the pandemic that seek to rebuild and expand their businesses. It aims to equip MSEs with a resilient outlook on business, and to assist entrepreneurs in creating their sustainability plans and in rebuilding and expanding their businesses through access to loans from BPI Direct BanKo.

In 2020, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported that 99.51% of all businesses across the country belong to the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) sector. Micro enterprises account for 88.77% or 850,127 of the total MSMEs.

The representatives of BPI Foundation, BPI Direct BanKo, and PTTC together with the micro enterprises present during the launch of SEAL-SEGA.