The Philippines presents one of the most fascinating case studies in grassroots blockchain adoption. As the Philippine Blockchain Report 2025 reveals, the country’s Web3 trajectory diverges sharply from Western markets: instead of speculative trading, its foundation was built on economic necessity.
The rise of play-to-earn (P2E) gaming—most notably Axie Infinity—turned blockchain into a lifeline for thousands during the pandemic, giving birth to the so-called “Metaverse Filipino Worker.” For many, this was not just a game but a livelihood that often surpassed traditional wages, driving unprecedented engagement and digital inclusion.
The rise of decentralised guilds like Yield Guild Games (YGG) further democratised access by enabling those without capital to participate through scholarship systems. This model not only generated income opportunities but also embedded community ownership within the Web3 ecosystem. Startups like Sovrun’s pivot toward player empowerment and digital asset ownership signal an evolution from mere earning to creative participation.
While mass adoption is impressive, the report highlights a gap between use and understanding—blockchain is embraced for utility, not ideology. Yet, through gaming, entertainment, and culture, Filipinos are shaping a uniquely people-powered Web3 movement, positioning the Philippines as Southeast Asia’s crucible for inclusive digital innovation.
REGIONAL
SEA startup investments rise for second month, totalling US$287M in Oct: The resurgence in investor activity–combined with larger ticket sizes and improved sentiment suggests that the region may be on track to end 2025 on a note of measured recovery and renewed confidence.
Kakao Pay, Artem Ventures back Paywatch’s US$20M Series A: The funding fuels expansion of AI-powered earned wage access and financial wellness tools across Asian markets. Kakao and Paywatch will co-develop enterprise financial solutions across both SEA and South Korea.
Living Lab Ventures, Spiral Ventures launch fund to strengthen Japan-SEA collaboration: The Japan Thematic Fund by reflects a growing urgency among Japanese investors to tap into SEA’s startup growth and consumer momentum.
BLOCK71 launches UniVentures to fuel Vietnam’s university startup surge: Designed as a “University to Unicorn” platform, UniVentures connects Vietnamese students, alumni, and researchers with regional networks in Singapore and beyond, offering mentorship, investment opportunities, and access to cross-border markets.
REPORTS, FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
The rise of the Metaverse Filipino Worker: Blockchain’s unlikely economic hero: Economic hardship drove Filipinos to blockchain gaming, birthing the Metaverse Filipino Worker and redefining the nation’s digital economy.
Blockchain in action: How Philippine government is modernising public services: The Philippines embraces blockchain beyond crypto, launching DLT projects to improve transparency, public finance, and digital governance nationwide.
How prescriptive AI is powering SEA’s leap toward semi-autonomous manufacturing: Infinite Uptime’s Co-CEO Karthikeyan Natarajan explains how prescriptive AI is transforming Southeast Asia’s factories into intelligent, semi-autonomous operations.
Damien Kopp on rethinking AI, power, and business resilience: Kopp, the founder of KoncentriK, shares insights on AI strategy, sovereignty, and resilience, drawing from decades of experience in global tech leadership.
INTERNATIONAL
Hong Kong launches AI strategy to attract global investment: The government has launched the AI Talent Connect initiative to attract international talent and has invested or co-invested in AI companies, including startups, through the Hong Kong Investment Corporation.
Chinese AI startups lag US rivals in global revenue: report: As of August, only four Chinese private firms—Glority, Plaud, ByteDance, and Zuoyebang—appeared in the world’s top 100 AI apps by annual recurring revenue. Together, they generated a combined US$447M, or just 1.2% of the US$36.4B total.
Kakao Q3 profit more than doubles to US$133.2M: The South Korean tech firm’s reported net income rise 145.6% y-o-y, exceeding analyst expectations. Operating profit reached US$142.8M, up 59.4%, while sales climbed 8.6% to US$1.44B, both marking quarterly record highs.
Tesla to produce EV without pedals in April 2026: CEO Elon Musk described the Cybercab as designed for full self-driving and robotaxi use, with no side mirrors and a focus on cost efficiency. This announcement follows shareholder approval of a compensation package for Musk valued at up to US$1T in company shares.
OpenAI’s Sora hits 470,000 android downloads on first day: Sora lets users create AI-generated videos and features a TikTok-style feed and an option called Cameos, where users and friends are animated by AI. Sora competes with Meta’s AI app, which has expanded to Europe after launching in the US.
Tesla investors approve US$1T pay deal for Elon Musk: The plan could increase Musk’s stake in Tesla to at least 25% over the next decade, but he will only receive the full amount if Tesla’s value rises to US$8.5T and operational targets are met.
ECHELON
Why the Philippines is ready to lead: Jojo Malolos on rebuilding PayMongo and the country’s fintech breakout: In this fireside chat, Malolos discussed leading PayMongo’s turnaround after a leadership crisis.
SEMICONDUCTOR
US to ban Nvidia’s latest AI chip sales to China: Nvidia has already provided samples of its latest scaled-down AI chip, the B30A, to several Chinese customers. The B30A chip can be used to train LLMs in clustered setups, a capability many Chinese companies require.
SoftBank said to explore potential takeover of US chipmaker Marvell: The Japanese conglomerate reportedly explored combining Marvell with Arm Holdings, the UK chip designer it controls, but discussions did not result in an agreement.
Musk plans Tesla AI chip factory, considers Intel partnership: He noted Tesla is developing its fifth-generation AI chip, which will power its autonomous driving systems, and continues to work with TSMC and Samsung for chip production.
US-based Microchip forecasts lower Q3 sales due to inventory cuts: The Arizona-based chipmaker said it expects net sales between US$1.1B and US$1.2B, while analysts surveyed by LSEG predicted US$1.2B. Shares fell nearly 6% in after-hours trading following the announcement.
AI
Nvidia CEO says China poised to win global AI race: Speaking at a conference in London, Jensen Huang cited Beijing’s energy subsidies and the large number of AI researchers in China. He noted that about half of the world’s AI researchers are based there and that most leading open-source AI models are created in the country.
Exploring the game-changing role of AI in online courses: While AI has the potential to improve online learning greatly, it is important to carefully consider the ethical implications of using AI in education and ensure that it is used in a way that benefits both students and educators.
AI transformation starts with people, not platforms: When employees understand the why, they start curating, designing, and refining AI like insiders. That’s when adoption sticks — because it’s their solution, not the company’s system.
What if AI is not here to replace us, but to reinvent us?: The critical question is not, “What if AI replaces us?” It is, “What if AI helps us reinvent ourselves?” Because the future won’t be shaped by how efficiently AI replicates what we already do — but by how courageously we imagine what humans and AI can create together.
AI isn’t just automation – it’s a mirror of how we should learn: AI’s true power isn’t speed but adaptability—empowering creators to learn continuously, build intentionally, and evolve through feedback, community, and human-centred innovation.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Craft your next with AI: Orchestrating a new intelligence through adaptive ecosystems: Enterprises are shifting from single-model automation to adaptive AI ecosystems that integrate learning, governance, and real-time decision-making.
Crypto rebounds as labour data calms markets but is the rally sustainable?: Crypto markets rebound amid regulatory reprieve, ETF optimism, and technical resets as global risk appetite steadies on labour data.
Why digital parks are becoming the backbone of the Philippines’ emerging tech ecosystem: As the Philippines enters a pivotal decade of digital transformation, innovation districts and digital parks are evolving into critical ecosystem engines.
You can’t eat IRR: Why DPI is now the metric that matters: By focusing on realised distributions, DPI (Distributions to Paid-In Capital) has shifted from a supporting role to the main metric that investors are watching.
From spoiled cabbage to ASEAN shelves: The kimchi playbook rewriting Asian SME expansion: Ong Kim’s kimchi success in Vietnam shows how true localisation, not global imitation, helps Asian SMEs build lasting culturally rooted brands.
The future is skills, not jobs: Skills-based hiring is a talent acquisition approach that evaluates candidates based on their unique and individual abilities and skills, as opposed to assessing them based on more “traditional” measures, like previous job titles, educational attainment, or other more subjective factors.
Surviving a recession: How to navigate layoffs and come out stronger: Looming recession is creating only more anxiety for further elimination or roles. This affects not only the talented folks who unfortunately got laid off, but also folks who are employed and are living in fear, uncertainty and doubt.
Why AI literacy is the new core skill for 21st-century educators: While AI can improve efficiency for educators, it also brings significant responsibility. Understanding the technology goes beyond operation. It also requires awareness of how algorithms shape results and potentially reinforce biases.
The CTO playbook: Building a tech team from scratch: The people you bring on board in the early stages are your greatest asset. Not only do they shape your company’s culture, but they will define how quickly and effectively you can build your product.
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