To underscore the importance of SMEs to the growth of the ASEAN region, eBay Inc., together with the broader US-ASEAN Business Alliance for Competitive SMEs (“Business Alliance”), sponsored a workshop for over 190 small business owners and entrepreneurs from the Metro Manila area. This is part of a series of capacity building programs that we are organizing with governments and industry associations in Southeast Asia to help ASEAN SMEs succeed in the Global Marketplace.

Through such programs that is in line with the ASEAN Economic Community’s objective of enabling economic inclusion, the Business Alliance sought to transfer knowledge and skills to help local SMEs manage their business more effectively, as well as help them to gain access to regional and world markets through improved branding, technology, and logistics.

Ecommerce or technology-enabled commerce lowers the barriers to trade and levels the playing field for retailers and enterprises of all sizes, even the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). With 149 million active buyers, e-commerce platforms such as eBay Marketplaces enable local businesses to reach consumers from global markets and get paid safely with a trusted global payment solution like PayPal.

The workshop in Manila which saw an overwhelming attendance from female entrepreneurs small business owners in the Philippines, was organized in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), and the Philippine Exporters Confederation (PHILEXPORT).