Ant International has announced the introduction of the MSME Sustainability Impact Scorecard (MSME S-Card), aimed at empowering micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across Asia to track and validate their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impact.
Developed under Programme Sirius, the MSME S-Card is a digital tool that integrates ESG metrics directly into business processes and digital wallets, simplifying sustainability tracking for MSMEs.
This innovative tool is designed to help MSMEs adopt sustainable practices, enhance ESG credentials, attract green financing, and align with global standards.
“One of the key priorities when we launched Programme Sirius earlier this year was to address the critical challenge of sustainability inclusion for MSMEs,” said Leiming Chen, chief sustainability officer at Ant International.
He emphasized that the MSME S-Card will help these enterprises contribute to a shared vision for sustainability while gaining tangible benefits, such as ESG reporting and access to green financing.
GCash, a leading fintech in the Philippines, will be the pilot participant for the initiative, adapting the MSME S-Card to fit the local market’s needs.
This partnership highlights the significance of the project for the country, where MSMEs make up 99.5% of businesses.
“In the Philippines, MSMEs make up 99.5% of all businesses. However, many remain informal and lack access to financing and growth support, limiting their potential for resilience and innovation,” said Winsley Bangit, VP for New Businesses at GCash.
Bangit noted that partnerships with global leaders like Ant International will help bridge these gaps, fostering responsible growth and aligning with GCash’s mission to uplift the lives of Filipinos.
MSMEs face significant challenges in adopting sustainable practices, such as limited knowledge, resources, and tailored financial products.
This lack of access to sustainability information and financing often hinders their ability to meet the complex ESG requirements of larger corporations. The MSME S-Card, supported by Gprnt’s technology, addresses these issues by automating data collection and providing easy access to ESG reporting tools.
Gprnt’s Executive Director Lionel Wong expressed optimism about the collaboration.
“The launch of the MSME S-Card could not have come at a better time,” Wong said, highlighting Gprnt’s recent rollout of automated tools designed to simplify sustainability reporting and connect MSMEs to necessary resources.
As an inaugural member of Programme Sirius, GCash has committed to sustainability through initiatives like GForest, which has mobilized 17 million users to plant over 2.8 million trees.
This effort has reduced carbon emissions by 138,000 metric tons and provided livelihoods for more than 8,600 farmers.
The pilot project in the Philippines is set to roll out next year, potentially setting a benchmark for MSME sustainability in the region.
