Financial technology (fintech) training platform 10×1000 Tech for Inclusion, which aims to train 1,000 emerging talents and tech leaders each year for the next 10 years, announced new digital skills focus areas for 2022.
These include the Fintech Expert Program, geared towards tech professionals continuing their learning journey, and the Green Fintech Miniseries, for those who want to enhance awareness of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards in fintech.
“Deepening understanding of emerging technology applications, cross-region sharing, and local networking are the top three priorities for learners embarking on 10×1000 programs,” said Jason Pau, program lead of 10×1000, in a press release.
In 2021, the platform reported that 1,067 learners from 66 countries completed the Fintech Foundation Program and Fintech Leadership Program, with the help of 17 expert lecturers and 31 tech organizations and investors from around the world.
Those who complete 10×1000 programs gain certifications from both the platform and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which jointly launched the global initiative with a member of the World Bank Group and Alipay in 2018.
The Philippines, which ranked 51st out of 134 economies in the Digital Skills Gap Index 2021, is among the top three countries that supplies learners, along with Bangladesh and Indonesia. Close to 80% of learners are from South and Southeast Asia, Mr. Pau said.
He added that the potential for cross-country and cross-region knowledge sharing motivated 10×1000 to foster a vibrant global fintech community of learners and experts.
Fintech Alliance.ph, an organization of digital players expanding fintech in the Philippine finance sector, is one of 10×1000’s local collaborators that recruits Filipinos to the platform’s basic digital skills program Fintech Foundation Programme Flex.
The organization’s chairman Angelito “Lito” M. Villanueva, also the executive vice-president of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC), previously toldBusinessWorld in an interview that the Philippines is “a hot spot for more digital hyperscalers.”
“We are not just talking about talent poaching domestically amongst players in the Philippines but actually even companies from overseas … As the fintech industry continues to boom in the Philippines, so is the need for better technology and more skilled manpower,” he said in March.
The new Fintech Expert Program includes a deep dive into various relevant topics like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cloud.
“We are committed to expand curriculums to provide a continuous and widely accessible learning journey for fintech and tech professionals worldwide. We sincerely welcome more experts and partners to join hands in our collective goal of bridging the digital skills gap and driving financial inclusion,” said Mr. Pau. — Brontë H. Lacsamana