Establishing customer trust and verifying identity are vital to driving financial inclusion in the Philippines. This was emphasized by Pavel Schamberger, Head of Data and Business Development at Skyro, during the Manila Tech Summit 2025, held recently at Shangri-La The Fort.
Now on its fifth edition, this year’s summit — themed “Forging a New Global Order: Risks and Opportunities Redefined” — tackled some of the most pressing issues shaping the fintech landscape today. The event brought together thought leaders and innovators to discuss solutions, strategic investments, and forward-thinking approaches to navigate the evolving global economy.
Speaking at the panel discussion titled “The Rise of AI-Powered Finance in Asia: Use Cases from Lending to Risk Scoring,” Schamberger highlighted one of the industry’s biggest challenges: establishing customer trust and identity in a fragmented ID ecosystem.
“One of the key challenges in lending is establishing trust and identity. The fragmented ecosystem of national and local IDs complicates the verification process. In addition, many individuals remain largely part of the offline, cash-based economy with little to no digital footprint, making their onboarding particularly difficult,” he explained.
While over 92 million Filipinos have registered for the National ID, around 36 million are still waiting for their physical cards — and millions more remain without even basic identification. Although Skyro accepts other valid IDs, this fragmentation continues to pose challenges to fast and secure onboarding.
Schamberger emphasized that identity verification is more than just a compliance requirement — it serves as the cornerstone of customer trust and the gateway that enables more Filipinos to access credit easily, securely, and fairly.
Despite the challenges, he recognized the country’s strides toward digitalization:
“The country has seen tremendous progress, with major data sources now readily available. We hope this momentum continues to further accelerate the digital financial ecosystem in the Philippines,” he said.
During the event, Skyro’s interactive booth drew in hundreds of participants who took part in Skyro-pardy, a fun, fast-paced quiz challenge inspired by Jeopardy, where guests tested their knowledge on fintech trends and all things Skyro.
For over five years, the Manila Tech Summit has served as a pivotal platform fostering collaboration among digital finance organizations and innovators, ensuring that the Philippines remains at the forefront of fintech advancement on a global scale.
Skyro’s active participation reinforces its commitment to building trust, inclusivity, and innovation — empowering more Filipinos to embrace digital financial solutions confidently.
To learn more about Skyro, download the app for free on the App Store or Google Play, or visit www.skyro.ph. Follow Skyro on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok for updates.
