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The head of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Monday said they will launch by the end of next month their recently announced business-to-business platform, a venue that will provide local entrepreneurs easier and wider access to wholesale trading.

In an interview over the ABS-CBN News channel, trade secretary Cristina Roque said the platform is patterned from the Chinese e-commerce platform Alibaba.

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“The whole focus of this is really business-to-business, meaning there’s no retail buy here, no buying one. It’s really wholesale, meaning (buying) six pieces and above,” Roque said.

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She highlighted that businesses located in the Philippines and abroad will be able to choose from a list of suppliers and products from the platform.

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Earlier in August, Roque announced plans for this new marketplace, touting it as part of their push in developing local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

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Shortly after she was appointed to her position back in August, Roque expressed her commitment to implement a five-point plan to help develop local MSMEs, highlighting the importance of the sector and its contribution to the economy.

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In the Philippines, MSME’s make up the majority of businesses, comprising 99.51 percent of the total according to 2020 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Her five-point plan covers utilization of AI (artificial intelligence) and digitalization, diversification, funding the business sector, franchising, and mentoring and providing strategic learning.

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Meanwhile, the local e-commerce scene is seen as a main driver in the Philippines growing internet economy, which was valued at $7.5 billion in 2020, according to a 2023 study done by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company.

It is projected to grow around five times to $35 billion by 2025, based on the same study.

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Aside from e-commercesbet, food delivery and video-on-demand are the next two biggest contributors to the southeast Asian country’s internet economy.

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