The Small Business Corporation (SBCorp), the financing arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), offers a variety of programs and services to support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines. These programs include:
Continue reading SBCorp Unveils Dynamic Loan Programs to Empower Filipino MSMEs and Boost Economic Growth
Category Archives: Financing
SBCorp continues financial assistance to affected businesses amid the ongoing pandemic
The Small Business Corporation (SBCorp), the lending arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), continues to provide financial assistance to affected micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), cooperatives, hospitals, tourism business, and repatriated or displaced Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) by the COVID-19 pandemic under the Bayanihan CARES (COVID-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises).
Bayanihan CARES was launched in October 2020 with PhP 8.08 billion funds thru equity infusion was allocated to SBCorp under the Bayanihan 2 Act. This is an interest-free and collateral-free financing program wherein the borrower MSMEs will only need to pay a one-time service fee, which is set at a maximum of eight (8) percent for a 4-year loan term. Continue reading SBCorp continues financial assistance to affected businesses amid the ongoing pandemic
DTI partners with Unionbank in fostering financial resilience for MSMEs
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) partners with the Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) in fostering financial resilience for MSMEs. UnionBank presented during a webinar their initiatives on assisting the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) amidst the digital shift, focusing on their products, namely the MSME Business Banking App, UPay, and SeekCap, all geared towards financial resilience.
The MSME Business Banking App is a financial platform designed to address important bottlenecks of MSMEs in their quest to innovate their businesses. Particularly in getting started in the online digital space, accessing finance, managing cashflows, and enabling payments for their goods and services.
Continue reading DTI partners with Unionbank in fostering financial resilience for MSMEs
Landbank’s YESAP to aid emerging youth MSME agri-entrepreneurs
The Land Bank of the Philippines is the country’s premier government financial institution which provides services that help promote countryside development while remaining financially viable. One of its major services is to provide credit assistance to small farmers and fisherfolk.
The Yes! to Agriculture Program (YESAP) is a product offered by Landbank to youth (18-35 years old) MSME agri-entrepreneurs to help them to engage in viable and sustainable agribusiness projects such as agricultural and fishery production and trading, processing, servicing, and distribution of agricultural crops and commodities. Continue reading Landbank’s YESAP to aid emerging youth MSME agri-entrepreneurs
BDO Kabuhayan loan to aid MSMEs amidst the pandemic
The Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) continue to thrive amidst the problematic economic landscape brought about by the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic.
BDO Network Bank, the rural banking subsidiary of BDO Unibank, Inc., is offering financing opportunities for MSMEs that aim to expand, and at the same time, offer them easy loan payments. Continue reading BDO Kabuhayan loan to aid MSMEs amidst the pandemic
It pays to know right – MSME financing directory now available
The EDC Networking Committee on Financing came up with a Financing Directory aimed to assist the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have the option to choose the right financing program suited for their needs. The said directory is a compilation of different loan programs describing their eligibility criteria, requirements and other loan mechanics and processes from commercial banks, government financing institutions, other financing alternatives, venture capital (for start-up businesses), etc. Please note that the directory is based on currently available information and maybe subject to change by the concerned financing institutions/entities.
The said directory can be downloaded from the EDC website: www.edc.net.ph/ncf-updates. GTM
SBCorp to fund the medium enterprises in the country
Access to finance has been a perennial problem of the country’s MSMEs. Many financing programs were developed by government financing institutions to assist them in growing their businesses, ship their products, develop new products, attend trade shows, etc. The latest of these many programs is SB Corporations’ (SBCorp) COVID-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises (CAREs) program to micro and small enterprises for them to recover from losses that their businesses incurred during the pandemic. All loans from the CAREs program are interest-free and payment starts after six (6) months upon release of the loan and is payable within 18 to 30 months.
Meanwhile, the medium enterprises whose businesses were also affected by the lockdown clamors to be included in the special loan facilities of government financing institutions in the country. Ms. Mila Lacson, representing and championing the cause of her sector – the Holiday Décor & Giftwares, specifically called the attention of SBCorp as their applications for financial assistance under the CAREs program were denied for the reason that their companies are medium enterprises. Hence, the sector appealed that they should also be given financial assistance by the government, citing that they are more capable to pay dues, pay higher taxes and generate more jobs than their micro and small enterprise counterpart. Continue reading SBCorp to fund the medium enterprises in the country
SB Corp INKS MOA for exporters relief fund under CAREs program
The Small Business Corporation’s (SBCorp) CAREs (COVID-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises) Program is part of the government’s economic relief program for micro and small enterprises affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Luna Cacanando, SB Corp President and Chief Executive Officer informed that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has allocated P1.5 Billion loan program to help cushion the economic impact to businesses brought about by the pandemic. This was proclaimed during a zoom meeting last 28 May 2020, organized by the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT) to help the agency in the dissemination of information for the said program.
Under this loan program, existing micro and small enterprises (MSEs) can tap the assistance to restart their businesses after they have been affected by the lockdown measures undertaken by the government to contain the spread of the Corona virus.
Micro enterprises with asset size not exceeding PHP3 million can borrow between Php10,000 up to Php200,000. Small enterprises with assets not exceeding PHP15 million can borrow up to Php500,000. Moreover, the loan is interest free or zero-interest for 30 months but SBCorp. will charge 6% as service fee. In addition, SBCorp. will also give six-month grace period to micro and small businesses hence, loan payment commences on the 7th month. However, if by then business is yet to recover, the exporters request for possibly longer grace period of at least 12 months before it start their loan payment.
In order to help facilitate the roll out of the CAREs loan program, SBCorp partnered with PHILEXPORT and allocated P300 Million as loan fund relief for the latter’s members. The two are set to sign the Memorandum of Understanding for the partnership and guidelines in the coming days.
Under this partnership, PHILEXPORT is to endorse the list of member/exporters qualified to apply for a loan and SBCorp is only to collect 6% deducted upon the loan release. The 6% consists of a 5% service fee for processing the loan and the 1% to be given back as admin fee to the chapter or association that facilitated the approved loan application.
Finally, it was also informed that Congress is set to finish the Philippine Economic Stimulus Act (PESA) bill where a Php100Billion was allocated to also provide zero-interest. –GTM
Government lending arm to set aside P1.5 billion fund for MSMEs affected by COVID- 19
Due to the continuing rise of confirmed COVID-19 cases and the scarcity of medical devices and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through its lending arm- the Small Business Corporation (SBCorp) felt the need to augment the critical supply gap and significantly reduce the risks and serious threat posed by COVID-19 to the health and safety of the Filipino people, particularly the medical frontliners. With these in mind, DTI and SBCorp recognized the importance of providing immediate funding assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who are manufacturing COVID-19 specific medical devices and personal protective equipment (PPEs).
As such, in order to provide the much needed funding assistance, the DTI and SBCorp requested the Office of the President in line with the special power granted to it under RA No.11469 the “Bayanihan to Heal As One Act” to:
1.) Reallocate P500 Million from the P1.5 Billion P3 fund under the FY2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to provide funding assistance to SMEs manufacturing COVID-19 specific medical devices and ppes; and
2.) Provide for a maximum loan size of P30 Million to the said SMEs on the condition that loans exceeding P5 Million will require third party evaluation from a government financial institution such as the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) or the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).
Meanwhile, SBCorp will continue with its Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (P3) Program, the country’s flagship program for providing economic and employment opportunities to micro enterprises through the encouragement of entrepreneurship. DTI through SBCorp has been implementing the P3 program since 2017 through a fund downloaded by the National government to SBCorp via the GAA. The P3 program provides micro enterprises that do not have the access to formal credit and with asset size not exceeding Php 3 Million. The program can be easily accessed by micro enterprises at reasonable cost (0.5% interest) with a grace period of 6-months (and can be extended) and minimal requirements- Barangay Certificate and Barangay Clearance. In addition, the program is expected to lure micro enterprises away from usurious loans provided by loan sharks and other informal money lenders.
Another P500 Million was set aside as Enterprise Rehabilitation Fund (ERF) for micro entrepreneurs once the ECQ is lifted with loans up to P200,000. A month-long pilot run in May will be done in Luzon with a nation-wide roll-out aimed by June. In summary, a total of P1.5 Billion for MSMEs were set aside by the DTI. These were all discussed in detail by Ms. Luna Cacanando, SBCorp President, during the second eForum series on #ResilienceAndRecoveryPH conducted via zoom on Wednesdays, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm by the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc (PHILEXPORT) in collaboration with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Employers Confederation of the Philippines e(ECOP) and the Philippine Disaster Relief Foundation (PDRF).
For more details on the DTI-SBCorp funding programs, you may call their hotline at 1-800-10-651- 3333 (8am-5pm) or visit Sbcorp Dti facebook page.- GTM
Personal properties now accepted as loan collateral
President Duterte signed last month, Republic Act No.11057 or the Personal Property Security Act (PPSA) to boost access to credit and financing for the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), including exporters as well as farmers and fisherfolks. This means that banks and other financial institutions will now accept account receivables, inventory, warehouse receipts, crops, livestock, machinery and equipment, vehicles and even deposit accounts.
In the past, banks and other financial institutions prefer traditional collateral such as real estate or land for loan applications. As these assets are hard to come by for MSMEs, bank loans were often only accessible to and obtained by larger corporations. But with the new measure, land titles would now cease to be the sole requirement for securing bank loans.
By expanding the said list, the government is promoting an increase in economic activity of the MSMEs which redounds to better businesses, more revenues and more jobs for the Filipinos.
Further, the law also provides for the establishment of a unified, centralized online notice-based collateral registry that is lodged in the Land Registration Authority (LRA) to provide protection and more confidence to banks and financial institutions in lending to MSMEs and the agriculture sector. Such collateral registry will serve as a centralized digital record for personal properties being used as collateral, thus, allowing banks to make sure that their applicants’ collateral will not be used for more than one loan application.
In addition, the passage of the law is expected to improve the country’s position in the Getting Credit indicator of the Ease of Doing Business Survey of the World Bank.
Finally, with a sustained effort from the government and private sector partners, the country will surely achieve a more competitive and sustainable economic growth through a reformed and secured transaction system in the country. (GTM)