Embedded finance strategy to be featured in Retail Asia Forum in Manila

Deloitte Southeast Asia’s Anna Marie Magno-Pabellon to bring her expertise on navigating regulatory implications for retail and consumer businesses to the 5 October forum.

Retail Asia has announced that the 2023 Retail Asia Forum is scheduled to take place on 5 October in Manila.

One of the speakers at the event is Anna Marie Magno-Pabellon, Risk Advisory Partner at Deloitte Southeast Asia, who will shed light on the integration of embedded finance into retail and consumer businesses. Anna’s segment will highlight the new and evolving trends in the retail industry.

The upcoming forum will live up to its tradition of providing a platform for industry leaders to gain insights into key trends and strategies shaping the future of retail.

“The competitive retail landscape has greatly changed, not just because of the pandemic, but also due to increased innovations in supply chain, digitalisation, cloud technology, and artificial intelligence,” Anna told Retail Asia in a recent interview.

As the country leader for Deloitte Philippines’ risk advisory services and the financial services industry, Anna bears extensive experience in helping clients navigate complex business risks, including financial, operational, cybersecurity, and regulatory challenges.

It takes a seasoned professional with the background and expertise such as Anna’s to make an impact in the forum to aid participants in making key adjustments in the face of an increasingly competitive industry. As an example, she said: “Consumer businesses are now exploring the integration of financial services into their online customer journeys through embedded finance strategies.”

Embedded finance offers exciting commercial opportunities for retail and consumer businesses, but it also introduces regulatory implications, she said.

At the Manila forum, expect Anna to provide attendees with practical takeaways for successfully integrating embedded finance into their retail and consumer businesses.

Her insights aim to guide decision-makers in making informed choices that align with their business objectives and regulatory obligations.

What is required of decision-makers, she said, is to balance their commercial goals with regulatory and compliance responsibilities whilst remaining within their risk appetite. “Leaders need to take a longer-term strategic view of regulatory requirements and consider them from the outset when planning to embed finance in retail transactions,” Anna stressed.

Moreover, she emphasised the importance of early and constructive engagement with regulators in cases of regulatory uncertainty. “Decision-makers should initiate communication with regulators as early as possible, especially if embedded finance becomes a crucial aspect of their long-term business strategy,” she advised.

Forum organisers conveyed to her how fortunate participants in this year’s event would be to have her invest her time and wisdom to contribute to the better understanding of the embedded finance strategy.

In response, Anna said she was excited about the upcoming event and hoped to engage with fellow industry professionals at the Retail Asia Forum in Manila.

Retail Asia encourages industry stakeholders to register for the 2023 Retail Asia Forum to gain valuable insights, connect with industry leaders, and stay abreast of the latest developments in the retail sector. For more information and registration details, visit retailasia.com.