The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) underscored its push for greater financial inclusion in Mindanao as it recognized nine outstanding institutional partners during the 2025 Outstanding BSP Stakeholders Appreciation Ceremony (OBSAC) held on 8 September in Butuan City.

In his keynote message, Monetary Board Member Jose Querubin stressed the importance of expanding financial services to underserved communities.

“Financial services must reach even the remotest places, and the benefits of progress should trickle down to more people. But with your passion and commitment, no challenge is beyond our reach,” he said.

BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat likewise highlighted how partnerships with regional institutions have advanced the central bank’s initiatives.

“Because of your partnership, our financial system is becoming more accessible, more responsive, and more human, one family, one sari-sari store, one community at a time,” she said.

The OBSAC, established in 2004, serves as the central bank’s platform for recognizing institutions that contribute to its mandates of ensuring price stability, safeguarding financial stability, and maintaining a secure and efficient payments and settlements system.

This year’s honorees from Mindanao include Metrobank’s Ozamiz Cash Management Services Unit; three Land Bank branches covering Northern Mindanao, General Santos Pioneer, and Davao-Recto; the Development Bank of the Philippines’ Cagayan de Oro Cash Center; the Ministry of Trade, Investments, and Tourism of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office of the Davao de Oro provincial government; the Philippine Science High School–Zamboanga Peninsula Region Campus; and the Butuan City Bankers Club.

The central bank noted that these institutions played vital roles in promoting digital payments, currency management, gold buying, and financial literacy in Mindanao – areas seen as critical to accelerating inclusive growth in the region.

The Mindanao event followed earlier OBSAC ceremonies for BSP’s Head Office and South Luzon partners in July and August. Similar recognition programs are also scheduled for the central bank’s North Luzon and Visayas offices.