Greater public-private cooperation, enabling policies to accelerate MSMEs' digital shift, says fintech leaders
MANILA, Philippines, Nov. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Micro, small, and medium enterprises in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are seen benefiting from increased cooperation in the region, which allows financial technology players to better serve small businesses, according to industry players.
Rowena Zamora, Chief Strategy Officer of Mynt, the parent company of GCash, said ASEAN initiatives that support fintech companies in empowering small businesses include the ASEAN Single Window, which has allowed more streamlined digital processing for fintech firms and MSMEs.
"We have to democratize policies and processes to expand MSMEs' access to the market, both from a domestic and the larger ASEAN regional lens, and provide practical innovations that address issues like the cost of participation and the cost of regulatory compliance," she said.
GCash, which has been enabling the digital transformation of roughly six million merchants, offers MSMEs alternatives to traditional financing, alongside partnerships with the Philippines' national policymaking agencies and regulatory bodies.
With ASEAN standardizing cross-border regulations and GCash enabling cross-border transactions, including for MSMEs that require sourcing from foreign countries, the cost to participate in the regional market becomes significantly lower, said Zamora.
Zamora made these remarks at a panel discussion during the Public Forum of the World Trade Organization in September this year at Geneva, Switzerland.
The panel session, titled "Beyond Borders: ASEAN's Bold Paths to MSME Digitalization," was co-organized by the Philippine Mission to the WTO and GCash. It also convened other stakeholders from the region, namely, Indonesian open-platform digital wallet DANA, and the Bank for International Settlements' (BIS) Innovation Hub.
In his opening remarks at the panel, Ambassador Manuel Teehankee, the Philippines' Permanent Representative to the WTO, underscored the importance of accessibility in cross-border interoperability to help MSMEs face the increasing complexity of global markets.
He also reaffirmed the Philippines' backing of the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), which aims to build an integrated ASEAN digital market, ahead of the country's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026.
Felix Sharief, vice president of Public Policy and Government Relations at DANA, also said in the panel that the Indonesian e-wallet platform has benefitted from ASEAN's standardization of e-commerce processes and economic cooperation, lowering costs, and allowing them to provide more services for unbanked populations.
Sharief also noted critical investments that provide MSMEs access to the digital economy, saying, "Collaboration between the public and private sectors shapes the landscape, with private companies supplying the technology and innovation, and the public sector creating enabling policies. This way, we can have transformation and digitalization, and make sure financial means are accessible to all of society."
Zamora also took part in the working session, "Digital Payments in ASEAN: From Innovation to Inclusion," organized by the Indonesian government, which discussed cross-border QR interoperability and regional payment connectivity.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
ASEAN fintechs GCash and DANA doubling down on support for MSMEs
- Company named "Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company (Achieving Greater than $1 Billion in Annual Sales)" and "Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company" simultaneously
- Accelerates recovery from market downturn leveraging world-class HBM leadership; Global management performance recognized
- Reflects company's technology leadership and customer-centric execution
- SK Chairman Chey Tae-won emphasizes: "Technological competitiveness must remain unwavering in challenging times"
- Commits to driving new customer value and leading global AI market growth as a "Full-Stack AI Memory Creator"
SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SK hynix Inc. (or "the company", www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has been named the winner of the Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award (Achieving Greater than $1 Billion in Annual Sales)[1] and the Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company Award[2] at the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA)[3] Awards 2025, held on December 4 PST in Santa Clara, California.
| [1]The Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award: A category recognizing public semiconductor companies based on financial soundness and operational efficiency. Awards are presented in two categories — annual sales over $1 billion and annual sales under $1 billion — and are considered among the most authoritative honors in the global semiconductor industry. |
| [2]Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company Award: A special category recognizing semiconductor companies headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region based on comprehensive evaluations including product excellence, business vision, leadership, and market success. |
| [3]GSA(Global Semiconductor Alliance): A global CEO-level semiconductor organization serving as a hub for technological information sharing across more than 25 countries and over 250 corporate members. |
The GSA Awards, organized annually since 1996, are regarded as the most prestigious honors in the global semiconductor sector, recognizing outstanding performance in leadership, financial results and industry reputation. SK hynix secured its second win in the financial management category following 2017, and its first recognition as the top Asia-Pacific semiconductor company. The dual achievement reinforces the company's reputation as a leading global technology innovator.
While the semiconductor industry faced a severe downturn just two years ago, the company has been the fastest to rebound thanks to its advanced AI memory technologies including HBM. This performance has resulted in global recognition for its operational excellence and financial execution. SK hynix plans to continue building sustainable growth with its dominant leadership in the AI memory market.
The awards reflect the company's proactive delivery of groundbreaking HBM solutions and its steadfast commitment to customer-centric performance in surging global AI demand. SK Chairman Chey Tae-won has consistently emphasized that securing technological competitiveness must remain unwavering, especially during challenging times. This long-term focus on technology investment and global cooperation network has contributed to the company's improved performance and reinforced financial health.
Driven by this strategy, SK hynix has recorded historic performance throughout 2025. For the first three quarters, the company reported revenue of 64 trillion won and operating profit of 28 trillion won in total, positioning it well to surpass its previous full-year earnings record set in 2024 (66 trillion won in revenue and 23 trillion won in operating profit).
Financial health has also significantly strengthened. As of the end of the third quarter, cash and cash equivalents reached 27.9 trillion won, up 10.9 trillion won quarter-over-quarter, while interest bearing debt decreased to 24.1 trillion won— successfully transitioning into a net cash position of approximately 4 trillion won.
To secure long-term leadership in AI memory, SK hynix is accelerating major investments. The Cheongju M15X fab, which opened its cleanroom earlier than planned in October, is on track to begin HBM mass production in the first half of next year. Construction of the first fab in the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, launched in February, is also progressing ahead of schedule.
With its recent financial achievements and continued expansion, SK hynix is expected to further solidify its AI memory leadership going forward.
SK hynix was represented at the ceremony by Justin Kim, President & Head of AI Infra at SK hynix, and Sungsoo Ryu, President of SK hynix America. "It is a great honor to receive this award." Kim said, "We will continue to lead the market and create new value for customers as a Full-Stack AI Memory Creator, driving growth across the global AI ecosystem."
About SK hynix Inc.
SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world's top tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips ("DRAM") and flash memory chips ("NAND flash") for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company's shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Further information about SK hynix is available at www.skhynix.com, news.skhynix.com.
SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SK hynix Inc. (or "the company", www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has been named the winner of the Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award (Achieving Greater than $1 Billion in Annual Sales)[1] and the Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company Award[2] at the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA)[3] Awards 2025, held on December 4 PST in Santa Clara, California.
| [1]The Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award: A category recognizing public semiconductor companies based on financial soundness and operational efficiency. Awards are presented in two categories — annual sales over $1 billion and annual sales under $1 billion — and are considered among the most authoritative honors in the global semiconductor industry. |
| [2]Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company Award: A special category recognizing semiconductor companies headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region based on comprehensive evaluations including product excellence, business vision, leadership, and market success. |
| [3]GSA(Global Semiconductor Alliance): A global CEO-level semiconductor organization serving as a hub for technological information sharing across more than 25 countries and over 250 corporate members. |
[1]The Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award: A category recognizing public semiconductor companies based on financial soundness and operational efficiency. Awards are presented in two categories — annual sales over $1 billion and annual sales under $1 billion — and are considered among the most authoritative honors in the global semiconductor industry.
[2]Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company Award: A special category recognizing semiconductor companies headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region based on comprehensive evaluations including product excellence, business vision, leadership, and market success.
[3]GSA(Global Semiconductor Alliance): A global CEO-level semiconductor organization serving as a hub for technological information sharing across more than 25 countries and over 250 corporate members.
The GSA Awards, organized annually since 1996, are regarded as the most prestigious honors in the global semiconductor sector, recognizing outstanding performance in leadership, financial results and industry reputation. SK hynix secured its second win in the financial management category following 2017, and its first recognition as the top Asia-Pacific semiconductor company. The dual achievement reinforces the company's reputation as a leading global technology innovator.
While the semiconductor industry faced a severe downturn just two years ago, the company has been the fastest to rebound thanks to its advanced AI memory technologies including HBM. This performance has resulted in global recognition for its operational excellence and financial execution. SK hynix plans to continue building sustainable growth with its dominant leadership in the AI memory market.
The awards reflect the company's proactive delivery of groundbreaking HBM solutions and its steadfast commitment to customer-centric performance in surging global AI demand. SK Chairman Chey Tae-won has consistently emphasized that securing technological competitiveness must remain unwavering, especially during challenging times. This long-term focus on technology investment and global cooperation network has contributed to the company's improved performance and reinforced financial health.
Driven by this strategy, SK hynix has recorded historic performance throughout 2025. For the first three quarters, the company reported revenue of 64 trillion won and operating profit of 28 trillion won in total, positioning it well to surpass its previous full-year earnings record set in 2024 (66 trillion won in revenue and 23 trillion won in operating profit).
Financial health has also significantly strengthened. As of the end of the third quarter, cash and cash equivalents reached 27.9 trillion won, up 10.9 trillion won quarter-over-quarter, while interest bearing debt decreased to 24.1 trillion won— successfully transitioning into a net cash position of approximately 4 trillion won.
To secure long-term leadership in AI memory, SK hynix is accelerating major investments. The Cheongju M15X fab, which opened its cleanroom earlier than planned in October, is on track to begin HBM mass production in the first half of next year. Construction of the first fab in the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, launched in February, is also progressing ahead of schedule.
With its recent financial achievements and continued expansion, SK hynix is expected to further solidify its AI memory leadership going forward.
SK hynix was represented at the ceremony by Justin Kim, President & Head of AI Infra at SK hynix, and Sungsoo Ryu, President of SK hynix America. "It is a great honor to receive this award." Kim said, "We will continue to lead the market and create new value for customers as a Full-Stack AI Memory Creator, driving growth across the global AI ecosystem."
About SK hynix Inc.
SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world's top tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips ("DRAM") and flash memory chips ("NAND flash") for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company's shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Further information about SK hynix is available at www.skhynix.com, news.skhynix.com.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
SK hynix Honored with Two Major Titles at GSA Awards 2025
