Lender tool allows MSMEs to optimize operations

By Rizal Raoul Reyes

Boosting the capabilities of the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) has gotten a big lift when Union Bank of the Philippines recently introduced UnionBank GlobalLinker, an innovative but freely available platform designed to grow the sector’s network and operational capacity.

“We are strongly committed to empowering MSMEs in the Philippines by providing business solutions and other opportunities that meet their needs. Now we are going a step further through UnionBank GlobalLinker, an innovative digital platform that helps entrepreneurs efficiently manage their businesses,” said UnionBank Vice President and UnionBank GlobalLinker Lead Proponent Dino N. Velasco. “When MSMEs have access to this digital platform, it won’t be long before they find themselves in the global scene.”

He said the bank’s latest offering will provide MSMEs, which make up 99.57 percent of Philippine establishments, with the tools and resources to scale up, go global and contribute to nationwide growth.

The move to empower the MSMEs started through its UREKA Forum—the lead social-responsibility project of the bank, which was able to convert 1,500 MSMEs into digital commerce. MSMEs were given opportunities to learn from industry giants, jump-start their digitization and convert their brick-and-mortar business model into brick-and-click.

By using the Network feature, Velasco said MSME owners can link with other business owners who may be their potential supplier, partner or customer. They may find suppliers of products and services that can help their business.

The Biz Forum, meanwhile contains news, articles and discussions on industry developments enabling users to stay up to date and share insights with others.

The UnionBank GlobalLinker’s LINKER.store allows a user to put up a personalized e-commerce store for free. In just a few steps, entrepreneurs can build an online store that come with inventory-management and data-analysis tools, which can help make smarter data-driven decisions.

Velasco said the initial challenge of entrepreneurs is to pursue the digital road map followed by determining the efficiency of the solutions or tools to be used in their operations.

“ That is why we made UnionBank GlobalLinker that single destination where they can be productive in the way they interact with colleagues and make use of online business solutions,” Velasco said.

When companies enroll in the platform, they get a storage service called eBriefcase, where they can upload word files, spreadsheets and slides. These files can be shared between users of the platform. Members can enjoy up to 1GB of free space, while companies have an overall cap of 4GB.

UnionBank GlobalLinker also has a built-in calendar that helps users set meetings.

The calendar lets users view the availability of their links and set recurring weekly or monthly meetings.

Source: BusinessMirror