CryptoPH Weekly News Recap: Oct. 13 - 19, 2025

GM! This Thursday, Sen. Bam Aquino will convene the Technical Working Group (TWG) that will refine the details of his Blockchain The Budget bill. Media is not allowed in this session. Whatever will be the result of this will surely be discussed in the next public hearing. (You can get a refresher here.)

In today’s weekly news recap, these are some of the biggest stories we covered:

Initially teased earlier this year, the new feature marks the digital bank’s entry into the crypto space:

It is currently available to select users, who will immediately see it on the app’s dashboard.

Note that it will immediately ask for your TIN (Tax Identification Number) before you can trade in Go Crypto.

(Check out this article for the full details.)

(Note: If you want to know how we were able to write this article, please check this on LinkedIn or X.)

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and blockchain firm Polygon have both confirmed to BitPinas that discussions for a potential multi-million dollar grant for the DICT to pilot a national budget blockchain system are “ongoing.”

In separate statements by their representatives, both parties clarified the status of the collaboration, correcting earlier reports and social media posts that a deal may have been finalized. The proposed grant, valued at $5 million to $10 million (according to DICT Secretary Henry Aguda), would be used to implement the project at no cost to the government, the organizations said.

(For the full article, check it here.)

Amid a growing policy rift over World/Tools For Humanity’s iris scanning operations in the Philippines, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) has clarified that registration with the agency does not amount to an endorsement or legal clearance of a company’s data processing activities.

In a statement issued on October 13, 2025, the NPC reaffirmed its authority as the country’s independent data protection body, explaining that registration is only one of several compliance obligations under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.

The process, the agency said, serves to enhance transparency and oversight but does not relieve entities of their duty to ensure lawful and fair data processing.

Additionally, the NPC clarified that its official position on data privacy issues is expressed only through formal issuances, such as decisions or orders, approved by the Commission en banc after proper deliberation. Statements made outside these formal issuances, it said, should not be interpreted as the agency’s official stance.

Check out the article here.

Lisk Pitching Day Cebu gathered innovators, developers, and government representatives, with LiskHQ’s Dominic Schwenter and Alexis joining the discussions alongside DOST Region 7.

YGG Play Launch Pad is now live.

Base Philippines announced its Pre-Halloween Community Townhall to be held on October 23–26 nationwide.

The City Government of Baguio, in partnership with BayaniChain, launched its adoption of blockchain technology on October 15, 2025.

The Blockchain Campus Conference opened registration for two sub-events; Hash Clash, a blockchain and web3-themed quiz bee for 10 competing teams, and Capture-The-Block, a blockchain-based puzzle-solving competition.

Both events will take place on November 14, 2025, at Cavite State University – Main Campus as part of BCC’s Hacker House program.

Lisk SEA hosted its Pitching Day in Davao on October 13. It brought together local developers, founders, and mentors to prepare Mindanao-based builders for global web3 visibility. 

The event featured sessions from the Lisk core team, Ethereum Philippines, Davao DeFi, and Rampz P2P. There were also live pitching from 17 startups, as well as mentorship opportunities as part of the Lisk Builder’s Challenge Round 3. 

Lisk SEA noted that the event aimed to help Filipino developers transform open-source projects into viable web3 startups.

Final words

By Michael Mislos, Editor-in-Chief, BitPinas