Cryptocurrency for Finance Professionals
by Mr. Philip Te

Cryptocurrencies have attracted the collective energy and attention of the wider population.  In recent years, cryptocurrencies have attracted the attention of financial institutions (including banks) and institutional investors.  Why the disproportionate attention to this emerging asset class?  

Cryptocurrencies, as of the date of writing, have a market capitalization of around USD 2 trillion.  To put this in perspective, equity markets have a market capitalization of almost USD 120 trillion, bond markets at USD 120 trillion, and gold at more than USD 10 trillion.

Why this disproportionate attention to cryptocurrencies? Like any new technology and rapidly evolving asset class, the debate on both sides of the aisle (positive and negative) are loud and intense.  As in many things in life, the truth is somewhere in between.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investing
by Mr. Iggy O. Sison

Why ESG Investing is important and has expanded rapidly in recent years with the evolution and emergence of sustainability.

Valuations: Theory vs Practice
by Ms. April Tan

Learn how professional analysts apply valuation tools in determining what stocks to buy or sell.


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Mr. Philip Te is the author of a two-volume book on Bank Risk Management published by Oxford University Press and Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers.

He is currently a Director for Financial Markets for a global wholesale bank based I Singapore.  Prior to this, he was a Vice President under financial markets in Singapore.  He was previously head of Structured Products and Financial Engineering Department of a local commercial bank and a Senior Associate at the Ernst and Young Financial Services Risk Management and Quantitative Advisory Services group.

He is the Program Director for the Quantitative Finance and Risk Management Series at the Ateneo Center for Continuing Education.  He has lectured extensively on financial risk management, Basel III, derivatives, IAS 39/IFRS 9, option pricing, corporate treasury management and strategic issues in hedging.  He is the author of Bank Risk Management Primer, published by the Bankers’ Association of the Philippines.

He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM), Energy Risk Professional (ERP) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Mr. Ignacio Carmelo (Iggy) O. Sison is Del Monte Pacific’s Chief Corporate Officer responsible for sustainability since 2010. He has been with Del Monte since 1999 and was the group’s Chief Financial Officer for nine years until 2015, the first Filipino to hold this position since 1926. Before joining the company, he was CFO of Del Monte’s previous parent company for three years. In 2010, he received the Best CFO Award in the Singapore Corporate Awards. 

In 2021, Del Monte received the Singapore Corporate Governance Award from the Securities Investors Association (Singapore), which included sustainability in the criteria aside from governance. In 2020, Del Monte’s Sustainability Report was a Finalist for Asia’s Best Community Reporting in the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA) in Singapore, while in 2018 the company’s maiden Sustainability Report was a Finalist for Asia’s Best First Time Sustainability Report. 

In early 2022, he was a panelist at the webinar of the Singapore Exchange and GRI on Sustainability and Corporate Governance while in 2021 he was a panelist at GRI’s Expert Series webinar about Chief Sustainability Officers. In October 2021, he was appointed as a member of the Advisory Board of the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability of Ateneo de Manila University. He was appointed in November 2021 as Chair of the Finance and Budget Committee of the Board of the university. 

Mr. Sison holds an MSc degree in Agricultural Economics from Oxford University; an MA in International Relations, Major in Economics, from the International University of Japan; a BA in Economics, magna cum laude, from the University of the Philippines; and an International Baccalaureate from Lester B. Pearson United World College in Canada. His earlier education was in Ateneo de Manila grade school and high school.

Ms. April Tan is First Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Chief Investor Relations Officer at COL Financial. She is also the company’s Chief Equity Strategist, writing and presenting market strategy reports and appearing in local business programs as a resource person for stock market matters. Previously, she headed COL’s research team, which covers more than 60% of the PSE’s market capitalization. 

Outside of COL Financial, she writes the weekly column “Intelligent Investing” for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and hosts the TV show “Insight with April Lee Tan” for ANC, both of which focus on the stock market, business, and personal finance topics. 

Ms. Tan received her Bachelor's degree in Management Engineering degree from the Ateneo de Manila University. She became a CFA Charterholder in 2000.