Globe marks year of firsts

Last year was a time of greater expansion for the Globe Group, as it continued to deliver innovations to address perennial problems of Filipinos.

From its network optimization and data center business to its debut in climate technology and financial technology expansion overseas, the Globe Group cast an even wider net across industries this year.

Among the Globe milestones for 2023 is the STT-GDC Philippines' breaking ground.

"Despite the challenges Globe faced, 2023 was another banner year as we continued to cement our standing as the foremost digital solutions provider in the Philippines, with an unrivaled ecosystem of products and services that make life better," Ernest Cu, Globe group president and CEO, said.

Among the Globe milestones for 2023 is the STT-GDC Philippines' breaking ground.

STT GDC Philippines is a joint venture between Globe, Ayala Corp. and ST Telemedia Global Data Centers of Singapore, which is in the thick of an aggressive expansion, breaking ground on two major infrastructure projects this year.

In May, it broke ground on the STT Fairview data center campus, touted to become the largest interconnected and carrier-neutral data center in the Philippines at a capacity of 124 MW upon its completion in early 2025.

Six months later, STT GDC Philippines also announced the start of construction on the 6-megawatt STT Cavite 2, which will rise as a two-story building with a gross floor area of over 4,500 square meters in a campus just south of the country's capital region.

It will serve to complement its enterprise-grade STT Cavite 1 at the same campus in General Trias, Cavite, which has a 4.3 MW capacity.

It also expanded its existing data centers to 5.2MW. STT GDC Philippines is closing the year with a total of  seven facilities in Metro Manila, Cavite and Davao, as it aims to serve the as the next data center hub in Southeast Asia amid steadily rising demand for data center services.

Gogoro hits roads

Gogoro Philippines, a leader in electric mobility and battery-swapping technology, launched commercially in the country this year, bringing a new sustainable transport option to Metro Manila's congested roads.

A collaboration of Globe's 917Ventures Inc., Ayala Corporation, and Gogoro Taiwan, Gogoro Philippines opened an Experience Center in Makati City in November, giving the,public access to its Smartscooters®, battery-swapping technology, and other merchandise. It formally went to market in December, launching its Energy Plans for Filipino riders.

Currently, Gogoro Philippines will close the year with a total five GoStations for battery swaps in BGC, Taguig, Parañaque City, Makati City and Pasig City. It will open 6 more GoStations by Q1 of 2024: Two each in Quezon City and Makati City, and one each in Marikina and Pasig City.

GCash goes global

Globe Group affiliate GCash, the top mobile finance platform, continued its international expansion this year. 

The app is now available for use with international mobile numbers for Filipinos in Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada and the US, with services such as send money, pay bills, bank transfers, and buy load available in these key countries. 

Its Global Pay business, which allows users to pay via QR, is now available in 17 countries including Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, France and Italy.  GCash users may also use their Visa-powered GCash Card for cashless transactions in over 36 million merchants across 210 countries.

917Ventures, the Globe Group's  corporate venture builder, had a prolific year, introducing new startups in various areas. To date, 917V has vetted over 700 ideas, launched and tested 29 ventures, and has a total portfolio of 13 companies.

Housify was launched as a proptech (property tech) digital solutions platform for Filipino real-estate brokers meant to increase productivity and sales conversions.