February 2024: Tech news from The Philippines

Tech news from The Philippines in February 2024 briefly covered items including: eVTOL – flying car – technologies focused on The Philippines’ island geographies; The Philippines’ Central Bank’s exploration of a central bank digital currency – minus blockchain tech; government moves to aid returning overseas Filipino workers into small businesses; and more.

For more technology news from across Asia and the Indo-Pacific, you should take a look at our daily editions and weekly newsletters.

PwC Digital Banking Survey 2023: Southeast Asia landscape

“Philippines and Southeast Asia have been of great strategic importance for LuftCar,” said Santh Sathya, CEO of LuftCar. “Our flying and road vehicle concept is tailor-made for connecting the archipelagos and serving cargo, air ambulance, tourism and regional transportation verticals.

“Our hydrogen propulsion will serve long distance and heavy payload carrying needs in the region, LuftCars have a big role to play in defense in the region enabling ship to base and base to outpost missions.”

The vehicle would be capable of flight distance of 300 miles at a maximum speed of 220 mph and maximum altitude or 4,000 feet.

Video: ‘How the Philippines is transitioning to a premier investment hub’, a discussion from the recent Digital Pilipinas Festival in November 2023

“Launched in 2020, iFWD PH is the DoST’s initiative to assist OFWs who lost their jobs abroad due to the pandemic, and have had to go back home with no immediate prospects of employment. iFWD PH gives these OFWs and their families the opportunity to start their own technology-based businesses under the tutelage of the DoST’s experts.”