Smart Communications, Inc. has partnered with Web3 solutions provider BlockchainSpace for the adoption of Web3-powered solutions in the Philippines.
鈥淔ilipinos have been at the forefront of utilizing Web3 since the peak of the pandemic. With millions already owning crypto wallets and participating in GameFi, the Philippines has consistently been one of the leaders of Web3 adoption in Southeast Asia,鈥 said Peter Ing, chief executive officer of BlockchainSpace, in a press conference on Wednesday.
鈥淲eb3 is the next step of the internet. The first version of the internet was Web1, it was a read-only internet, then Web2 was the read-and-write internet where we saw social media interaction, and Web3 is about ownership of the internet, so read, write, and own,鈥 said Michael Justine S. Sa帽ez, global head of marketing at BlockchainSpace.
Under the partnership, the two entities will be working on two programs 鈥 Guild Partner Program and Creators Circle 鈥 that aim to empower those within the creator economy.
鈥淭hese are the initial use cases that we are seeing right now but we will see more use cases beyond that as blockchain will become an underlying technology for other things and other verticals,鈥 said Lloyd Dennis R. Manaloto, first vice-president and head of prepaid, content, and business development at Smart.
Mr. Manaloto said that Smart will serve as the connectivity partner and the initial source of endorsers for the two programs.
鈥淪mart is there to provide internet connectivity, and because we鈥檙e mobile it allows Web3 to be done anywhere in the Philippines, at least where we have coverage,鈥 he said.
鈥淲e have a lot of endorsers, and we also have fan groups of those endorsers, so for us, right now, it鈥檚 more of a marketing tool to engage our own base who are following our creators or those who are attached to us,鈥 he added.
Mr. Sa帽ez said that they are seeing more opportunities for Web3 adoption in the Philippines.
鈥淭here is a very high adoption rate in the Philippines. CoinGecko consistently ranked the Philippines number one when it comes to Web3 gaming adoption. And in terms of wallets, we comprise 17%-20% of all wallets of meta mass around the world,鈥 he said.
鈥淩ight now, we started with the two programs and from there we will continue to look. We will continue to look at all the feedback that we are going to get, we will continue to look at all the people that want to make partners, and see how it naturally evolves,鈥 he added.
鈥淏eing the connectivity partner, we are going to be looking at different verticals. Blockchain technology is not just cryptocurrency or NFT, it could power a lot of things from supply chain to programs on applications,鈥 Mr. Manaloto said.
Smart is the wireless unit of PLDT Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in 大象传媒 through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. 鈥 Justine Irish D. Tabile
