UK-Southeast Asia Tech Week 2025 is the UK’s flagship annual event on science, innovation and technology in Southeast Asia. This year’s event will run from Monday 24 March to Friday 28 March 2025 in the Philippines (Manila) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City).
This year, the UK is taking a delegation of cutting-edge UK AI and data companies to meet with stakeholders and potential partners in Southeast Asia. The companies represent the UK’s tech prowess – we are home to a $1 trillion tech sector with over 150 unicorns.
UK-Southeast Tech Week 2024 was a resounding success, with 150 bespoke business meetings organised, several of which resulted in commercial partnerships for UK companies. This is the third annual Southeast Asia Tech Week. The 2024 programme brought together 10 UK companies and over 500 Southeast Asian counterparts for a full week of activities.
We are excited to showcase 13 AI and data companies’ cutting-edge solutions in areas such as artificial intelligence, fintech, health tech, and more.
Our goal is to foster meaningful connections and partnerships that will drive technological advancements and economic growth in the UK and Southeast Asia.
See the programme, details of UK companies attending and how to register CLICK HERE
For further information contact BCCP at info@britcham.org.ph
Gabriella Quimson Vice Chairman Philippine British Business Council(PBBC) and His Excellency Ambassador Locsin arriving the House of Lords.
Joseph Miro Chairman of Philippine British Business Council(PBBC) was also present at a Diplomatic Reception on the Terrace of the House of Lords to hear a speech given by the Rt Hon Lord Howell of Guilford.
PBBC Members from left to right: Former British Ambassador to the Philippines Paul Dimond, David H. Bill, Rowena Romulo, Dr. Gabriella Tuason Quimson, Chairman Joseph Miro, Melissa Dizon, representatives from the UK’s Department for Business and Trade Priya Soni and John Williams, and Alistair M. Fulton, taken at the Philippine Embassy in London during their May 2024 meeting.
As the Philippine-British Business Council (PBBC) moves towards our 30th anniversary, under our new London Chairman Joseph Miro the background for the further development of bilateral trade and direct investment opportunities for both countries has never been stronger. The value of UK exports to the Philippines in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2023 was £1.3 billion (+16%), with imports of £1.7 billion (+22%). Services contributed about 40% of the former. UK outward direct investment to the Philippines in 2021 reached £449 million. In recent years, cases of inward direct investment have also grown.
In 2024, we have welcomed among others as members of the PBBC London Dr Gabriella Tuason Quimson and Mr Stephen Philips. Dr Quimson is a governance and anti-corruption specialist. Her father was Philippine Ambassador to the Court of St James’s in the 1980s. She has long experience in the UK and holds both Filipino and British citizenships, dividing her time between the two countries. Mr Philips was appointed Senior Adviser at BDO Unibank in January 2024, in a long career focused on cross-border trade, investment and finance in Asia. Before his appointment as Chief Executive of the China-Britain Business Council in 2006, he had been International Trade Director of UK Trade and Investment in the British Government.
As a business-led apolitical body, the PBBC works closely with both Governments’ trade and investment Departments, with much non-financial support from the Philippine Embassy in London and the British Embassy and the British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines in Manila. Individual PBBC members (all volunteers) have cumulative experience of trading conditions and contacts of well over 100 years. Unlike other surviving Business Councils, the PBBC itself has long adopted the policy of focus on those sectors offering the more obvious opportunities. These have included IT, agribusiness, energy and retail and we are currently aligning our focus with sectors identified by both Governments.
We offer a free service of advice in the UK to bona fide companies new to the market and are happy to hear from British firms interested in the Philippine market, whether diversifying from other ASEAN markets or completely new to the region, whether they wish to export products or services, find joint partners in the Philippines or invest there directly for longer-term market share. We are equally happy to hear from Philippine companies seeking partners in the UK or looking for direct investment opportunities.
All contacts should be directed to info@philippinebritish.com
Philippine-British Business Council
London
3 June 2024
Oct 09
The PBBC met in London on 24th September 2019 and amongst other topics they had a presentation on the recently enabled law on the “Ease of Doing Business” in the Philippines.
The presentation was given by Beatriz Alexandra G. Martinez, Third Secretary, Vice Consul, and Administrative Officer, Embassy of the Philippines, London.
The key slides from the presentation are presented below.
The British Business Delegation To The Philippines will take place during 23 – 28 February 2020.
The PBBC are delighted to be working with the British Embassy, British Chamber of Commerce in Manila and the Makati Business Club, to offer U.K. companies this unique opportunity to do business or invest in the Philippines. Please put the dates in your diary and make contact early to secure your place on the Business Delegation.
The British Business Delegation to the Philippines will include new and experienced exporters, investors, those looking to source from the market and those looking to outsource services to the Philippines. There is already strong, growing interest in tourism in the Philippines so anyone looking to increase tourism connections is also encouraged to apply. The delegation will be led by a senior and experienced PBBC Member from the UK with extensive experience of doing business in the Philippines.
The program for the delegation will include political, economic and sector briefings, business matchmaking events, site visits, business receptions and networking opportunities. One-to-one meetings can be added for a small additional fee. There will also be time for delegates to take the opportunity to explore the bustling city of Manila.
The delegation will fly Philippine Air Lines (PAL) – the flag carrier of the Philippines (direct flight between London and Manila). The travel package cost will include flight, hotel accommodation for the duration of the visit and connections.
The Philippines is one of the fastest growing global economies and has a rapidly expanding services industry. Economic growth has accelerated in recent years, averaging 6% GDP growth per year from 2011 to 2018 and is expected to expand at a solid pace through 2019/20 (Focus Economics). Now is the perfect time to explore the exciting business opportunities the Philippines has to offer.
For more information and to sign up to the delegation please contact Melissa Dizon on 07741 654362 or by email at melissad@martellobc.co.uk www.facebook.com/britishbusinessdelegationphilippines2020
ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE AND INDICATORS
Gross Domestic Product
• The Philippine economy remained one of the fastest growing in Asia, along with Vietnam and China. The PH Government is expecting a 6.5 percent GDP growth in 2018. The PH government will report on the 2018 GDP performance next week.
Inflation
• Inflation averaged 5.2 per cent last year, its quickest pace since the global financial crisis a decade ago.
Employment
• The annual employment rate in 2018 was estimated at 94.7 percent; annual unemployment rate was 5.3 percent.
• The total employed persons in the country in 2018 was approximately 41.2 million in 2018.
Budget (Revenues and Expenditure)
• In the first 11 months of 2018, the government’s budget balance swayed to a US $9.1 billion deficit, 96 percent higher than US $4.6 billion shortfall registered in the comparable period in 2017.
Foreign Direct Investment / Portfolio Investment
• FDI net inflows for the first ten months of 2018 reached US$8.5 billion, an increase of 1.8 percent from the US$8.4 billion net inflows in the comparable period in 2017. The government has projected overall FDI to hit $10.4 billion for the entire 2018.
Remittances
• Personal remittances from OFWs in January – November 2018 reached US$29.1 billion, 2.9 percent higher than the level posted a year ago.
• The bulk of cash remittances for the first eleven months of 2018 came from the US, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Japan, United Kingdom, Qatar, Canada, Germany, and Hong Kong. Cash remittances from these countries accounted for almost 79 percent of total cash remittances.
• Cash remittances from the UK to the Philippines increased by 9.2 per cent at US$1.3 billion from US$1.2 billion for the same period in 2017. UK remains the top source of overseas Filipino remittances in Europe, representing 35.6 % of the total remittances from the region.
Tourists
• International tourist arrivals in the first three quarters of 2018 reached 5.8 million travellers. Of these, 1.2 million are from South Korea and almost a million from China. On a national basis, South Korea provides 20 per cent of the tourists coming to the country.
• Arrivals of UK visitors have reached 163,000 visitors within the first three quarters of 2018 – this represents a 9.73 per cent increase from the same period in 2017.
• The UK visitors from the Philippines means the UK still ranks as the top visitor market for the Philippines in Europe.
Oct 24
After nearly 18 years as UK Chairman of the PBBC, Nigel Rich has stepped down as Chairman and handed the reins over to Peter Beckingham as the new Chairman.
Peter knows the Philippines well having been the British Ambassador in Manila from 2005 to 2009.
Further details about Peter can be found here.
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