Buhayin, the Philippines-based advocacy agency for emerging island hubs, has partnered with China-based cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company Bitget and Bitget Wallet to drive financial and digital inclusion in Siargao.

The partnership will officially kick off during Buhayin’s week-long island fiesta, Kapit-Isla Siargao, from March 12 to 16, 2025, the duo said in a statement on Monday.

The collaboration aims to introduce local businesses and residents to blockchain-based financial tools while also providing digital literacy programs on decentralized finance (DeFi) and its benefits.

The partnership also involved the launch of PayFi, Bitget Wallet’s new payment system that bridges traditional finance with blockchain technology.

PayFi allows local businesses to accept stable coins and digital assets for instant transactions, granting more payment options for tourists, digital nomads, and crypto users at these local establishments.

Through this partnership, Buhayin and Bitget Wallet are paving the way to make Siargao a model for a digitally empowered, sustainable island economy.

“Financial and digital inclusion is key to empowering island destinations like Siargao,

“By providing access to digital tools and education, we foster economic growth, resilience, and sustainability,” said Justin Wee, Founder of Buhayin.

It is noted that Buhayin envisions bringing Kapit-Isla to more island destinations across the Philippines, with Dumaguete set as the next stop this July.

This expansion underscores one of its core priorities: fostering digital empowerment and bridging technological gaps in underserved areas.

Bitget Wallet supports this vision by democratizing financial access for underserved communities through its digital payment solutions, providing an added choice for consumers who want to explore cryptocurrency as part of their financial habits.

“Blockchain technology can bridge economic gaps, and this partnership brings that vision closer to reality,

“With Bitget Wallet, we enable safe and effective digital financial adoption for long-term benefits,” said Alvin Kan, Chief Operating Officer of Bitget Wallet.

Established in 2018, Bitget is a global cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company.

Serving over 100 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange aims to offer trading feature and other trading solutions, real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices.

Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a multi-chain crypto wallet that offers an array of comprehensive Web3 solutions and features including wallet functionality, token swap, NFT Marketplace, DApp browser, and more.

With over 60 million users, the wallet offers onchain services, including asset management, instant swaps, rewards, staking, trading tools, live market data, a DApp browser, an NFT marketplace, and crypto payment.

Supporting over 100 blockchains, 20,000+ DApps, and 500,000+ tokens, the wallet enables multi-chain trading across hundreds of DEXs and cross-chain bridges, along with a $300 million protection fund to ensure the safety of users’ assets.

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