- GCash to captain effort, with Gprnt serving as it partner
- seeks to assist MSMEs in monitoring social and environmental effects
Ant International, in collaboration with industry partners, has announced the development of the MSME Sustainability Impact Scorecard ( MSME S-Card ), a digital solution designed to help Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises ( MSMEs ) in Asia track their environmental and social impact.
The MSME S-Card is a component of Ant International’s Programme Sirius, which was launched in March 2024 to assist MSMEs in moving toward conservation. To establish solid ESG qualifications and unlock fresh economic opportunities, the scorecard aims to offer a refined electronic solution to MSMEs.
Leiming Chen, chief sustainability officer at Ant International, stated,” We hope that the MSME S-Card, the second initiative under Programme Sirius, will provide a benchmark for MSMEs and financial institutions to work together to support MSMEs ‘ sustainability journey, enabling them to lead to a shared vision for a better future while gaining practical benefits from green payments, ESG reporting, and natural financing”.
Gprnt, a online program for ESG monitoring and data, will serve as the tech partner for the effort. The start of the MSME S-Card, which coincides with Gprnt’s release of its own integrated Reporting and Marketplace equipment, which are designed to connect businesses to an ecosystem of solutions to support their funding and decarbonization needs, could not have come at a better time, according to Lionel Wong, executive producer of Gprnt.
GCash, a digital finance platform from the Philippines, will be the pilot participant for the MSME S-Card. According to Winsley Bangit, VP for New Businesses at GCash,” MSMEs will benefit from GCash’s partnerships with global leaders like Ant International, promoting responsible growth in line with GCash’s goal to uplift Filipinos ‘ everyday lives,” “GCash’s partnerships with global leaders such as Ant International will help enable MSMEs to access both capital and practical support.”
The initiative aims to address several issues that MSMEs face when adopting sustainable practices, including the insufficient knowledge of ESG practices, limited resources for sustainability initiatives, and limited supply of customized financial products for smaller businesses.
MSMEs can report and transform information using the MSME S-Card using digital platforms. The scorecard provides MSMEs with actionable insights to align with sustainability standards and strengthen their ESG credibility by integrating ESG metrics in a streamlined and digital manner.
Next year’s GCash pilot project is anticipated to launch, with additional customization of the Philippines ‘ scorecard benchmarks based on local needs.