ANA Maria Aboitiz-Delgado, president and chief executive officer of Union Bank of the Philippines, has outlined a vision for a more collaborative, technology-driven, and resilient banking industry after being elected as the new president of the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP).
Aboitiz-Delgado, the first woman to lead the nearly 80-year-old industry organization, emphasized that the future of banking will hinge on deeper cooperation, stronger safeguards against emerging risks, and the responsible adoption of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence.
“What excites me most is that as bankers, ours is an industry that has the ability to uplift lives and fuel economic progress by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of banking services,” she said in a statement.
She noted that while digitalization and AI are accelerating transformation across the financial sector, they are also introducing “a next generation of risks” that go beyond individual institutions and national borders. These challenges, she said, are further intensified by geopolitical uncertainties affecting the global economy.
Aboitiz-Delgado stressed that addressing these risks will require industry-wide standards and closer coordination among banks, regulators, and other stakeholders.
“These underscore the importance of advancing industry-wide standards and deepening collaboration with each other, the central bank, and the communities we serve — so that trust and confidence in the financial system is not only preserved, but strengthened,” she added.
Her appointment signals a continuation — and expansion — of the industry’s push toward digital transformation and ecosystem-based approaches to risk management, building on initiatives under outgoing BAP president Jose Teodoro K. Limcaoco.
During Limcaoco’s three-year term, the association led efforts to combat financial scams and cybercrime, supported the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act, and strengthened regional cooperation through the Asean Bankers Association. The group also worked on improving the interoperability and efficiency of banking platforms to support the rapid growth of digital transactions.
Aboitiz-Delgado brings two decades of experience at UnionBank, where she began as a management trainee in 2003 and rose through the ranks to lead one of the country’s most digitally advanced banks. Her background spans SME banking, retail and institutional finance, customer experience, and digital channels — areas expected to shape her priorities at the BAP.
Her leadership comes at a time when Philippine banks are navigating both opportunities from digital innovation and rising risks tied to cybersecurity, cross-border fraud, and global economic volatility.
Also elected to the BAP leadership team were Fabian S. Dee of Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company as first vice president, Lynette V. Ortiz of Land Bank of the Philippines as second vice president, Joseph Albert L. Gotuaco of BDO Private Bank as treasurer, and Paul Raymond A. Favila of Citibank, N.A. as secretary.
Meanwhile, Elfren Antonio S. Sartre was appointed as managing director, succeeding Benjamin P. Castillo, who had served the association since 2017. / KOC