7 Filipino Founders Reveal How Crypto Saved Their Businesses

The impact of the technology is much larger the gazillion-dollar headline-making crypto boom and busts make it seem. It’s not even so much about getting rich quick, it’s about staying alive. As a Filipino entrepreneur myself, my heart goes out to the micro-entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Philippines. They’re not using crypto to speculate, they’re using it to survive and thrive.

Think about it, absence of better terms traditional finance can be truly exclusionary to these guys. Banks? Loan sharks, more like. Long lines, high interest, mountains of red tape, and too frequently, just denial. So what do you do when your sari-sari store needs more inventory, or your carinderia needs a new stove? Crypto steps in. And it’s not just about stepping in, it’s about saving lives.

Financial Inclusion: Crypto's Secret Weapon

The Philippines, like so many emerging markets, is plagued by a deep financial inclusion gap. The traditional banking infrastructure just does not meet the needs, leaving millions on the outside. Crypto bypasses all that. A smartphone, an internet connection, and boom — you’re connected to a global financial system. It’s about access. It's about opportunity.

It’s more than just paying and getting paid. It’s about creating a new kind of business where trust and transparency are baked in from the get-go. Quality is often missing from today’s legacy systems.

Follow the journey as I talk with Miguel from the Philippines’ coffee-farming mountains of Benguet. For years he was vulnerable to a system that placed him at the mercy of middlemen who drained his earnings. Today, he sells his beans directly to buyers around the world—with cryptocurrency. “It’s as if I’m getting my voice for the first time in my life,” he confided in me. “I can charge whatever I want, and I’m paid in real time. No longer waiting weeks or months for the bank to clear a check.”

NFTs: Empowering Filipino Artists Globally

Now imagine you’re that artist who can’t pay the rent. Your art is great, but galleries are gatekeepers and commissions are drying up. NFTs are flipping that script, and especially for Filipino creators.

Think about it: a digital artwork, tokenized on the blockchain, sold directly to a collector anywhere in the world. No catch, no middleman, no gallery fees, just pure, unadulterated access to a vibrant global market. This is more than just the sale of art, this is about the ownership of your art, the ownership of your narrative and the ownership of your future.

Or consider the case of Maria, a visual artist from Cebu. As an artist, she leverages NFTs to sell her complex digital paintings to collectors throughout Europe and the US. "Before NFTs, I was struggling to survive," she confessed. To those people, now, I’m earning more money than I ever imagined I could. But now I am able to provide for my family. Today, the worry of where the next meal is coming from is gone, so I can focus on my passion.

That’s not just a community success story, that’s a community revolution. It’s a democratization of art that is turning the power from the old guard, the traditional art world, to the individual creator.

Regulation: Walking a Tightrope of Innovation

Naturally, this is not entirely positive news. Governments rightly fear fraud, money laundering, and market instability. We all know they’re trying to protect consumers, and that’s a good goal. Overbroad, punitive regulation threatens to kill that innovation and throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I’m not advocating for a wild west of untraceable cash. We need smart, balanced regulations that encourage innovation while protecting users. Instead, we need to help Americans—especially young Americans—understand the true risks and rewards of cryptocurrency. Finally, let us work with regulators to ensure a playing field that is level on all sides.

That look of terror I sometimes encounter in regulators’ eyes is often due to unfamiliarity. They hear about Bitcoin’s volatility and make the conclusion that all crypto is a risky bet. That’s comparable to condemning the whole internet because you received a fraudulent email.

The key going forward will be in finding that balancing point between ensuring an environment conducive to innovation to flourish and consumers’ protections army. It’s a dangerous balancing act, and it’s one we need to walk.

Crypto isn’t a magic bullet, but it is powerful. Yet, it does offer an incredible opportunity for Filipinos to gain financial empowerment and pave the way to achieving a secure financial future. It’s not venture capitalism to get rich quick, it’s empowerment, it’s access, it’s opportunity. At its core, it’s about building a more inclusive and equitable financial system that benefits all Americans.

Crypto isn’t a magic bullet, but it offers a powerful tool for Filipinos to take control of their financial lives and build a better future. It’s not about getting rich quick; it’s about empowerment, access, and opportunity. It's about creating a more inclusive and equitable financial system for everyone.