Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner Rogelio Quevedo said tokenized assets could give Filipinos a safer way to invest — and help keep them out of the traps set by scammers. His remarks, delivered during a public forum in Manila, offer a rare glimpse into how the country's top securities regulator views the promise of blockchain-based investment products.
What Quevedo said
'Tokenized assets may provide more legitimate investment options for Filipinos and help steer them away from scams,' Quevedo told the audience. He did not lay out specific rules or a timeline, but the statement signals that the SEC is paying close attention to the technology. The commissioner's tone was cautious but open: tokenization, he suggested, could be a tool to bridge the gap between traditional finance and a public that's often burned by fraudulent schemes.
Why tokenized assets matter
Tokenized assets are essentially digital versions of real-world assets — stocks, bonds, real estate, even artwork — recorded on a blockchain. They can be bought and sold in fractions, which lowers the barrier to entry for small investors. For a country like the Philippines, where many people have limited access to formal investment channels, that sounds attractive. But the same technology has also been used in scams, with promoters selling tokens for projects that don't exist or promising unrealistic returns.
The scam problem in the Philippines
Investment scams are not new here. They've taken many forms over the years: from pyramid schemes to fake cryptocurrency exchanges. What Quevedo's comment acknowledges is that the regulator sees tokenization as a potential antidote, not just another risk. By offering a regulated path into digital assets, the SEC hopes to pull people away from the unregulated corners of the market. The question is how fast the agency can build the guardrails.
Quevedo's statement is not a formal policy. It's a signal. The Philippine SEC has yet to release a comprehensive framework for tokenized securities, though it has been studying the space for years. Other countries — Thailand, Singapore, the U.S. — have already moved to set rules. The Philippines still operates on a case-by-case basis. If Quevedo's words translate into action, the next step would be a draft set of rules for public comment. No such draft has been announced.
