UnionBank Confirms Working On Metaverse, Announced Milestones on 13th ETalk Tales

Unionbank has accelerated transformation not just of the company, but the whole banking industry. They brought power to small and medium enterprises, brought access to even the remote areas, and improved the lives of countless Filipinos. They have been instrumental in the growth of companies, even government agencies, and has been lauded not just in the country but the whole Asian region.

James Illeto VP for Corporate and Media Reputation Management of UB says "This is our last E Talk tales and is about gratitude for everyone who supported us this year. What an exciting year it has been with Unionbank, we received awards, has been the most recommended bank in digital. We can't wait to unrap more."

Ms Pinky Webb says "2021 has been a banner year for Unionbank, with life changing projects, it redefined what banking is today."

Henry Aguda the Senior EVP and Chief technology Operations Officer for UB says "Unionbank has blased the trail in digital. The pandemic has created this shift, the way we interact, transact in the financial sector. We always had the forward looking view and we have thrived during the hard times. In 2020, we focused on our digital strengths, we increased by 300 percent in customers and is still continuing to 2021. We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel by Q2, even if we had to face lock-downs. I'm glad to say we are ending the year on a high. Only Unionbank has been given a digital bank license as an actual bank. We now have a San Pedro Innovation Campus, a major step for us that we have it during at a time of crisis. We have superior innovation, registering 21 patents, 18 more in the process supporting inventors, think tanks, and more. We also have network and branch transformation with 100 percent uptime, data center connectivity, 150 branches transformed of over 195 branch nationwide. We also have Instapay 2.0, leading the way of transacting electronically in the marketplace. We also have the SME Banking Platform so MSME's have a way of IFC Investments, and banking apps that answer their banking needs. We also have our tech advocacy about wealth management, it is educational support and trained 101 digital transformation specialists, with thought leaders in government included. We also have UBX platform signups, where thousands of MSME's got their help. Customer accounts also increased, phenomenal performance even during 2021's pandemic. Our customers, employees and stakeholders have always been there, thank you!"

Arvie De Vera the Co Founder and CEO of Union Digital says "We wanted to have the company as a digital bank. We are now a tech company and a bank. What differentiates us is that we exist in the cloud. Our infrastructure is not as huge, but because of it, our services are lower priced. With digital, people can be assesed by transaction data. It allows us to imagine a future with little or no fees through blockchain. Send money in minutes, where customers can get the solution in a few taps. The future is for banks to become digital, but it is a very complicated process. The newly transformed Unionbank, UBX and Union Digital did a hybrid approach, to embrace it, to adapt to it. It can address the needs of a digital world. Fintech has enormous growth, blockchain adoption has grown 36 times and open finance has been prioritized by Banko Sentral. The Philippines is the 4th fastest digital economy in the world, and is expected to reach higher in the next few years. The P2E has also grown, 40 percent of it is from the Philippines. The Filipino is driving it again. Our country remains the top in social media usage worldwide, even Ecommerce adoption and the opportunity to grow is great. Unionbank is the only publicly listed bank that is granted a digital bank license. We also championed open finance in the country, it enables companies to work together better. Our API's can be used in real time, in a secure manner. It supports the industry and empower its growth. At our heart, we give what they want, what they need in security and proper governance. We have solid leadership, one who understands how to be first movers."

 

Albert Cuadrante the Chief Marketing Officer says "The year has ups and downs, but we are happy we are on our way to recovery. The digital economy has increased, in ecommerce and food, adding 12 million just this year, around 17 Billion dollars in the digital platforms. That's 4.3 percent of the GDP of 2021. The DTI targets to increase this and it is a validation to see our platforms continously improve over the years addressing our clients needs, to thrive in the new environment. Our fintech groups, including Union Digital, will push boundaries in the coming year. There will be more good news, have a safe Christmas!"

They want to continue to be ahead of the curve, follow customers where they are heading to. They don't want to lose the personal touch, to have everything they do revolve around the needs of the customer. Right now, UB is actually working on things like the METAVERSE (they actually have a branch now but are still working on it) and is optimistic that they would be able to deliver their services not just for their customers now, but the future. EON is growing, Unionbank Digital is also growing, and people want digital capability even before the pandemic, it's not gonna close down. Keep focusing on the customer, and everything else will follow. They need speed, decisiveness, whilst being customer centric.

Meet New Rainmaker Games Ambassador BARBIE IMPERIAL

The landscape of gaming has definitely changed in the last few years, and with the introduction of NFT's, blockchain tech and P2E games in the country. I see it still in its infancy and really, see why a lot of Filipinos are engaged in it. You've seen a lot of them on social media either as a flex or genuinely want to help others to take advantage of how to earn while playing.

There are actual FREE P2E platforms now like Rainmaker Games which gives access to hundreds of games of this type. It's certainly a good way to obtain earnings while playing. Rainmaker Games stemmed from a gaming guild, but now they've partnered with huge brands like Polygon Studios. Here, they can switch with different games, manage their finances, chat online and learn the ropes with the same platform. What better way to celebrate this growth but by getting a celebrity ambassador like gamer and actress Barbie Imperial.

She's streamed several games including CODM, ROS, NBA, PUBG and moba Mobile Legends among other things. She's also not a stranger to P2E and the world of cryptocurrency.

Barbie says "If you want someone to teach you how, Rainmaker Games have coaches so you could learn more about it. They also don't hesistate to teach you how to invest your money wisely."

If you want to know more about P2E and their plaform, you can join their community on the Rainmaker Games platform, they also have a Facebook Page at Facebook.com/RainmakerDAO and their discord channel dsc.gg/rainmaker or their telegram account t.me/rainmakergames. You may also visit their official site rmg.io, and as they say there, let's make it rain y'all!

MARLO MORTEL: READY TO START Making Music Again!

It's been a while since we've gotten to talk to Marlo Mortel, probably during his last movie which was ages ago. It's been a rough time for him especially during the pandemic as he really had a bad case of anxiety, and I can relate because I've gone through the same. He's got better and started writing songs... and having the urge to sing again. He also got back with Star Magic 2 months ago and raring to work in shows and movies, but before all that, he's introducing a new single called aptly, READY TO START. 

Contrary to rumors, the song isn't about Marlo's personal experiences. This was actually a friend's relationship that was asked to be written into a song. But Marlo says, his friend experienced something that happens to a lot of people including him, so in a way he too can relate to it. That's when I started to also ask a few personal questions, which he gladly answered. One of which was the admission of having a girlfriend during the height of the MarNella love team, which he didn't publicize so he could protect her from rabid ones that sent death threats during that time. Here's our blog conference on video, enjoy!

Marlo is a kind man and he deserves all the success he's getting. He was also asked about working with Janella again and he was actually adamant to do that if given the chance. That's a nice premise and why not, they're very professional!

Oh by the way, the song READY TO START is produced by Polyeast Records and Marlo himself. Aside from artistic freedom, he was given by the recording company a chance to do other things creatively, which he feels was a very good arrangement when he started creating music again. Make sure you listen to his song on Spotify and other streaming platforms. The lyric video is also out so make sure you listen to it with that, so you would understand how painful love is, and how you could cherish it even more if you are in a relationship. I hope you enjoyed our talk with Marlo Mortel, and don't worry he's going to be appearing even more starting now, he promised that!

RABIYA MATEO Now Proud to be KAPUSO

Photo byStephen Capuchino and Rabiya Mateo

Rabiya Mateo just confirmed that she is now a full pledged Kapuso. She signed with GMA Network and you must be wondering , why she chose to be here. Well, we got to talk to her yesterday and yes, she's raring to tell you that she's already appearing in shows, particularly Book 2 of "Agimat ng Agila" together with almost twin vixen  actress Sanya Lopez.

Rabiya shared during the presscon a few things she learned during her shoots. She had a really different perspective in reading and learning scripts. She wants to also work with Bea Alonzo in the future, which would be good since she's also in the same network now. She told us that they started off meeting Ms. Anette Gozon during a dinner and talked about her being in GMA. She had to be careful since back then she was still in a contract with Miss Universe Philippines. She also shared how she admires Alden Richards especially in the movie Hello, Love, Goodbye and maybe Dingdong Dantes if the opportunity arrives. She also shares, they promised her that she will be honed to be an actress, they understood that she's new to the industry... it was something she was looking forward to says the sassy Ilongga. 

Currently, she's very happy with her change of career. She learned to also filter out things on social media, to also be a little thick skinned because at the end of the day, she wants to only listen to people that matters most.

Here's the rest of our interview with her:

 

Can't wait to see how she's going to appear in GMA shows from hereon, they've got a lot of plans for her and maybe, just maybe, GMA will make her dream of working with GMA's prized leading men come true. She's a pro at answering questions, I love her already!