The Quezon City government announced yesterday that it is partnering with FinTech company, First Circle, to launch a business-focused financial literacy program for QC’s 75,000+ SMEs.
The program promises free quarterly webinars to educate business owners on money management and business loans, as well as other tools and resources to help SMEs in their economic recovery.
QC Mayor Joy Belmonte said that this is just the latest in a series of Quezon City government initiatives aimed at helping its citizens recover from the pandemic.
Some of the programs previously launched include Kalingang QC Para sa Negosyo—a subsidy program which prevented businesses from closing by helping them pay for employee wages, Pangkabuhayang QC—a capital assistance program for entrepreneurs looking to fund brilliant business ideas, and Made in QC—a caravan that promotes unique, locally-made products that can be marketed across the country and even the world.
The Quezon City-First Circle partnership was made official during a virtual MoA signing on February 7, 2022 which was attended by key leaders from both sides. A few special guests were also in attendance, including Ambassador Jesus Tambunting, Mrs. Victoria Tambunting Alfonso, Ms. Rosalina Magat, and Ms. Mary Elizabeth Ty-Delgado who expressed their wholehearted support for the partnership.
During his message, First Circle CEO Patrick Lynch expressed his gratitude to the Quezon City government and shared his hopes for the partnership, saying that “We’ve got a long road ahead of us but we’re very excited for everything to come.”
He also commended Mayor Belmonte for “the great leadership that you’ve shown,” saying that “It’s not common enough that [we] have good public-private partnerships, and we hope to make [this] a great example for more to come in the future.”
“We know that our SMEs need more help to survive in the competitive world of business in the midst of the pandemic, and it is very timely to have this partnership with First Circle that will provide financial literacy programs that will equip [SMEs] with money management skills, something that is vital to their growth and success,” Belmonte said.
“This is something very different and has not been done in our city… Through this partnership, we can provide two-pronged support to our entrepreneurs—financial assistance as well as financial literacy,” she added.
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