BIZ BUZZ: Tech-focused PSE board coming soon

More than a decade after the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) trimmed itself to two boards, a third may soon be back on the trading floor.

Expected to join the Main Board and the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Board by the first half of 2026 is a proposed Emerging Technology Board, according to Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda.

This board would allow Filipinos to invest in local technology firms, similar to how investors in the United States buy shares in companies such as Google and Microsoft, which are listed on Nasdaq.

Aguda said the proposal was now under review by a technical working group led by the Department of Finance, in coordination with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and PSE.

“There’s nothing preventing them from creating another board that is focused on tech,” Aguda said, adding that PSE president Ramon Monzon and SEC Chair Francis Lim were “very supportive” of the proposal.

Citing examples of potential candidates, Aguda said the board can attract digital payments platforms, ride-hailing services and social media startups such as GCash, Angkas, Bayan and Kumu.

If approved, the Emerging Technology Board is also seen as a springboard for tech firms that have yet to meet PSE’s current capitalization thresholds, set at P500 million for the Main Board and P25 million for the SME Board.

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While it is still on the drawing board, the Emerging Technology Board is already generating a buzz within tech circles. Aguda said at least 15 companies had already expressed interest in joining the proposed board.

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