Fastly Earns Gartner Customers' Choice Recognition for 2026

Fastly Earns Gartner Customers' Choice Recognition for 2026

Sunday, July 26, 2026

Fastly has been named a 2026 Gartner® Peer Insights™ Customers' Choice for Edge Distribution Platforms, a recognition based entirely on verified customer reviews from organizations using its technology.

The recognition highlights customer satisfaction with Fastly's platform performance, reliability, technical support, and overall user experience. According to Gartner Peer Insights data as of April 30, 2026, Fastly received an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 92 customer reviews, along with a 95% willingness-to-recommend score.

For businesses evaluating cloud infrastructure providers, customer-driven assessments such as Gartner Peer Insights can provide practical insights into how technology performs in real-world environments.

What is Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice?

Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice is a recognition based on verified reviews from enterprise technology users. Rather than relying on analyst evaluations alone, the distinction reflects direct customer feedback on product capabilities, support quality, and overall ownership experience.

Because reviews come from verified end users across different industries, many organizations use Peer Insights as one factor when comparing enterprise technology vendors.

Why Fastly received the recognition

According to customer feedback published through Gartner Peer Insights, Fastly earned strong ratings across several areas, including:

• Platform reliability
• Content delivery performance
• Technical support
• Security capabilities
• Developer-friendly tools
• Ease of managing complex deployments

The company says these strengths help organizations deliver digital services while maintaining performance and security, particularly as businesses continue expanding cloud-based operations.

Building on previous recognition

The latest recognition follows Fastly's earlier acknowledgment as a Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Cloud Web Application and API Protection (WAAP), a distinction the company has received for seven consecutive years.

This continued recognition suggests that customers value not only Fastly's content delivery capabilities but also its broader security and application protection services.

For organizations consolidating networking and security services under fewer vendors, consistent customer satisfaction across multiple product categories can be an important consideration during procurement.

Supporting AI-driven applications

The growing adoption of artificial intelligence is also increasing demand for faster and more scalable infrastructure.

AI-powered applications often process large amounts of data in real time, making network performance and low latency increasingly important.

Fastly says its edge platform helps organizations optimize AI workloads by combining content delivery, security, and observability capabilities within a unified infrastructure. While AI initiatives vary across industries, efficient edge computing can help improve responsiveness for AI-powered services delivered over the internet.

Although individual customer experiences may differ, recurring themes across multiple reviews indicate that technical support and platform flexibility remain among Fastly's most valued strengths.

Selecting a cloud infrastructure provider involves more than comparing technical specifications.

Organizations also evaluate operational reliability, vendor responsiveness, security capabilities, and long-term support. Independent customer reviews can provide additional perspective beyond product documentation and marketing materials.

For businesses investing in digital transformation, cloud-native applications, or AI services, infrastructure platforms that consistently receive positive customer feedback may reduce implementation risks and improve long-term operational confidence.

Fastly's recognition as a 2026 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Edge Distribution Platforms reflects positive feedback from enterprise users across multiple industries.

With a 4.8-star rating and a 95% willingness-to-recommend score, the company continues to earn recognition for platform performance, customer support, and reliability. As organizations expand their cloud and AI initiatives, trusted edge infrastructure providers are likely to remain an important part of delivering secure, high-performing digital experiences.

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ManageEngine Launches Marketplace for Enterprise IT Apps

ManageEngine Launches Marketplace for Enterprise IT Apps

Organizations often rely on dozens or even hundreds of business applications to manage their IT operations. Keeping these systems connected can be challenging, especially when businesses need specialized features that standard software does not provide.

To help address that need, ManageEngine, the enterprise IT management division of Zoho Corporation, has introduced the ManageEngine Marketplace, a developer ecosystem where businesses can discover, deploy, and manage extensions, integrations, plugins, and AI agents that expand the capabilities of ManageEngine's platforms.

The new marketplace is designed to give enterprises greater flexibility while providing developers and technology partners with a centralized platform to build and distribute solutions for ManageEngine customers.

What is the ManageEngine Marketplace?

ManageEngine Marketplace is a centralized platform where organizations can access extensions, integrations, plugins, and AI-powered agents that enhance ManageEngine's enterprise IT management products.

Rather than relying solely on built-in features, businesses can install solutions created by approved partners to meet industry-specific requirements or integrate with third-party applications already used across their organization.

The marketplace also serves as a distribution hub for Zia Agents, ManageEngine's AI-powered autonomous agents built to automate enterprise IT tasks.

Why are enterprise software marketplaces becoming more important?

Modern organizations rarely use a single software platform.

Instead, they operate multiple systems for IT service management, cybersecurity, asset management, monitoring, human resources, finance, customer support, and collaboration. Connecting these applications has become essential for improving productivity and reducing manual work.

Software marketplaces help solve this challenge by allowing businesses to extend existing platforms without requiring complex custom development.

Instead of waiting for software vendors to release new features, organizations can deploy ready-made integrations or industry-specific solutions developed by trusted partners.

What does the new ecosystem offer?

ManageEngine says the marketplace brings together three groups that benefit from the platform:

Enterprise customers

Businesses gain access to specialized extensions designed to address operational needs beyond the platform's standard capabilities.

These include:

• Third-party integrations
• Industry-specific add-ons
• Workflow automation tools
• AI-powered IT agents
• Productivity plugins

This approach enables organizations to customize their IT environments without building every solution internally.

Developers and technology partners

The marketplace provides software developers and system integrators with tools to create, publish, and commercialize applications built for ManageEngine customers.

According to the company, more than 17 partner organizations have already developed over 170 extensions, generating more than 10,000 downloads worldwide.

For developers, the marketplace offers an opportunity to reach an established enterprise customer base while creating recurring revenue through specialized solutions.

ManageEngine

For ManageEngine itself, the ecosystem expands the functionality of its platforms without requiring the company to develop every feature internally.

Instead, innovation is shared across a broader network of technology partners while maintaining centralized quality control.

How do Zia Agents support enterprise IT?

One of the marketplace's key additions is Zia Agents, AI-powered autonomous agents developed specifically for enterprise IT environments.

Unlike traditional chatbots that mainly answer questions, autonomous AI agents are designed to carry out tasks with limited human intervention.

Within ManageEngine's ecosystem, these agents can help automate routine IT workloads, support service desk operations, and interact with both ManageEngine products and compatible third-party systems.

By making Zia Agents available through the marketplace, organizations can deploy AI capabilities more quickly without building their own automation tools from scratch.

How does ManageEngine ensure security?

Opening a software platform to third-party developers introduces new opportunities but also increases security responsibilities.

To address this, ManageEngine says every marketplace submission undergoes validation before publication.

The review process evaluates:

• Functionality
• Security
• Compliance
• Quality standards

This governance model aims to balance developer innovation with the security expectations of enterprise customers, particularly those operating in regulated industries.

Enterprise software is evolving beyond standalone applications into connected ecosystems.

Organizations increasingly expect platforms to integrate seamlessly with existing technology investments rather than operate in isolation. As a result, marketplaces have become a common strategy among enterprise software providers, enabling customers to tailor solutions while encouraging innovation from independent developers.

The addition of AI agents also reflects a broader trend toward intelligent automation in IT operations. Businesses are looking beyond simple workflow automation and exploring AI tools that can help reduce repetitive tasks, improve service delivery, and support decision-making.

For companies already using ManageEngine products, the marketplace offers a more flexible way to extend platform capabilities while maintaining centralized governance and security.

The launch of the ManageEngine Marketplace marks an important step in the company's strategy to expand its enterprise IT platform through collaboration with developers and technology partners.

By combining third-party extensions, AI-powered Zia Agents, and a structured governance process, ManageEngine is giving organizations more options to customize their IT environments while providing developers with new opportunities to build solutions for enterprise customers.

As businesses continue investing in digital transformation and AI-driven automation, software ecosystems like this are expected to play a growing role in helping organizations adapt to changing operational needs.

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Fastly Joins DIMPACT to Support Sustainable Digital Media

Fastly Joins DIMPACT to Support Sustainable Digital Media

As demand for streaming services, online publishing, and AI-powered applications continues to grow, so does the environmental impact of delivering digital content. To help address that challenge, Fastly has joined DIMPACT, a global coalition working to improve how the digital media industry measures and reduces carbon emissions.

The move makes Fastly the first edge cloud platform provider to participate in the initiative, bringing technical expertise and network data that could help organizations better understand the environmental cost of delivering content across the internet.

Why does digital media have a carbon footprint?

Every video streamed, webpage loaded, or AI-generated response relies on a network of servers, data centers, internet providers, and user devices. All of these consume electricity, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions depending on the energy sources used.

This environmental impact is commonly referred to as a digital carbon footprint, which measures the emissions associated with producing, storing, transmitting, and consuming digital content.

As internet usage continues to increase worldwide, businesses are paying closer attention to the sustainability of their digital operations.

What is DIMPACT?

DIMPACT is an industry coalition that helps media companies, streaming platforms, publishers, and technology providers measure and reduce the environmental impact of digital media delivery.

The organization promotes science-based methodologies, shared industry standards, and collaboration among technology companies, researchers, and policymakers to improve carbon accounting across the digital ecosystem.

One of its goals is to help organizations make informed decisions about reducing emissions while maintaining the performance users expect.

How will Fastly contribute?

Fastly operates an edge cloud platform, a type of infrastructure that processes and delivers content closer to users instead of relying solely on centralized data centers.

By joining DIMPACT, Fastly will contribute:

• Real-world edge network data
• Infrastructure expertise
• Transparent emissions reporting methods
• Insights into how digital content travels from servers to end users

Understanding every stage of data delivery is important because emissions occur throughout the process, not just inside data centers.

According to DIMPACT, better visibility into these network pathways can improve the accuracy of digital emissions calculations and support more effective decarbonization strategies.

Scope 3 emissions

One of the biggest sustainability challenges for technology companies is managing Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.

Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions generated throughout a company's value chain, including suppliers, transportation, cloud infrastructure, and digital services that businesses rely on but do not directly control.

For media companies, these emissions can include:

• Delivering video streams
• Hosting websites
• Content distribution networks (CDNs)
• Cloud infrastructure
• Internet connectivity

Because these emissions involve multiple organizations, collaboration between technology providers is becoming increasingly important.

Why this matters for publishers, streaming platforms, and businesses

Consumers spend more time online than ever before, while businesses increasingly depend on cloud platforms, video streaming, and AI-powered services.

As digital activity grows, companies face increasing pressure from customers, investors, and regulators to understand the environmental impact of their operations.

Joining initiatives such as DIMPACT allows technology providers to contribute data that can help organizations:

• Measure digital emissions more accurately
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency
• Support sustainability reporting
• Develop long-term environmental strategies

For businesses with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, improving digital sustainability is becoming part of broader corporate responsibility efforts.

Industry context: Sustainability is becoming part of digital infrastructure

The technology industry has increasingly shifted its focus from simply improving speed and performance to also reducing environmental impact.

Cloud providers, content delivery networks, and streaming companies are investing in more energy-efficient infrastructure, renewable energy, and better carbon measurement tools.

At the same time, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence has renewed discussions about the energy required to process and deliver AI-generated content. As AI adoption expands, organizations are expected to place greater emphasis on understanding the environmental impact of digital services alongside their business benefits.

Fastly's participation in DIMPACT reflects this broader industry trend toward making sustainability a measurable part of internet infrastructure rather than an afterthought.

Fastly's decision to join DIMPACT highlights the growing recognition that digital sustainability requires collaboration across the technology ecosystem.

By contributing edge network expertise and emissions data, the company aims to help improve how the industry measures the environmental impact of digital media delivery. As organizations continue expanding their use of cloud services, streaming platforms, and AI technologies, accurate carbon accounting is likely to become an increasingly important part of responsible digital transformation.

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Zoho Brings Agentic AI to Philippine Businesses as Demand for Enterprise AI Grows

Zoho Brings Agentic AI to Philippine Businesses as Demand for Enterprise AI Grows

As more Philippine organizations explore artificial intelligence to improve operations, the challenge is shifting from whether to adopt AI to how to do it securely and efficiently. Zoho believes the answer lies in an integrated software platform rather than disconnected AI tools.

At its Zoholics Manila 2026 conference, Zoho announced the latest phase of its artificial intelligence strategy, introducing agentic AI capabilities designed to automate business processes while keeping data management and security within a unified ecosystem.

The announcement also reinforces Zoho's continued investment in the Philippine market, where businesses are increasingly preparing for digital transformation initiatives supported by both government policy and private-sector demand.

Why is Zoho introducing agentic AI in the Philippines?

The Philippines continues to accelerate digital transformation across both government and private sectors. National initiatives encouraging AI adoption, particularly among micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), have created stronger demand for software that combines automation, collaboration, and security.

For many organizations, however, AI adoption comes with practical concerns.

Businesses often rely on numerous cloud applications from different vendors, making information difficult to manage and increasing cybersecurity risks. Instead of adding another standalone AI solution, Zoho is positioning its platform as a way to consolidate business applications and AI capabilities into a single environment.

This approach aims to reduce operational complexity while helping organizations prepare for wider AI adoption.

What is agentic AI?

Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems capable of performing tasks autonomously with minimal human intervention. Unlike traditional AI assistants that simply respond to prompts, agentic AI can execute workflows, make routine decisions based on predefined rules, and coordinate multiple business processes.

For businesses, this can translate into faster customer support, automated HR tasks, sales assistance, IT help desk functions, and workflow management.

How do Zia Agents work?

A major highlight of Zoho's announcement is Zia Agents, an AI system that allows businesses to deploy autonomous digital agents across more than 50 Zoho applications.

The platform consists of three main components:

1. Pre-built AI agents for customer support, HR, sales, IT help desks, and account management.
2. Zia Agent Studio, a no-code and low-code environment that lets businesses create customized AI agents without extensive programming.
3. Agent Marketplace, where developers and partners can publish specialized AI agents for organizations to use.

Instead of building AI solutions from scratch, businesses can deploy ready-made or customized agents depending on their operational needs.

How does Zoho One fit into the AI strategy?

Zoho also highlighted the continued evolution of Zoho One, its all-in-one business software platform that now serves more than 75,000 organizations globally.

Rather than treating AI as a separate product, Zoho integrates AI features directly into the applications businesses already use.

One example is Ask Zia, an AI assistant that works across multiple Zoho applications, allowing users to retrieve information and make decisions without switching between software platforms.

The company says this unified approach simplifies adoption by embedding AI into everyday workflows instead of requiring organizations to purchase and manage separate AI solutions.

Zoho One continues to be priced at US$37 per user per month.

Why integration matters for businesses adopting AI

As organizations adopt more cloud services, managing separate applications has become increasingly difficult.

According to Zoho's State of Workforce Password Security 2026 report:

• Businesses using over 15 applications - 64% of APAC organizations
• Organizations lacking complete identity and access visibility - 73%

These findings suggest that many businesses are expanding their digital tools faster than they can effectively manage security and user access.

An integrated software platform can help centralize data, reduce duplicate processes, and simplify identity management, which becomes increasingly important as AI tools gain access to sensitive business information.

How does Zoho approach AI differently?

One area Zoho continues to emphasize is data privacy.

According to the company, customer data is not used to train generic AI models, and its proprietary large language model (LLM), Zia LLM, operates within Zoho-managed infrastructure.

For organizations handling confidential information or operating under strict compliance requirements, keeping AI processing within a controlled environment may reduce concerns about sharing business data with external AI providers.

The company also says it intends to keep AI capabilities accessible to businesses of different sizes rather than pricing them as premium add-ons.

What does this mean for Philippine businesses?

AI adoption is moving beyond experimentation.

Many organizations are now evaluating how AI can improve customer service, automate repetitive work, support employees, and strengthen decision-making without increasing operational complexity.

For Philippine businesses, particularly growing MSMEs, integrated platforms may become increasingly attractive as they reduce the need to manage multiple vendors while supporting long-term digital transformation.

As government initiatives continue encouraging responsible AI adoption, software providers are expected to focus not only on introducing new AI capabilities but also on making them practical, secure, and easier to deploy.

Zoho's latest announcements signal a broader shift in enterprise software, where AI is becoming part of everyday business operations rather than a standalone technology.

By combining Zia Agents, Zoho One, and its security infrastructure into a single platform, Zoho is positioning itself to help Philippine businesses adopt AI while addressing common concerns around integration, governance, and data privacy.

For organizations planning their AI strategy, the emphasis is no longer simply on adding artificial intelligence. It is increasingly about choosing systems that can scale efficiently while keeping operations connected and secure.

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Why NTC Homeschool SmartClass Is Betting on Flexible Learning as the Future of Education

Why NTC Homeschool SmartClass Is Betting on Flexible Learning as the Future of Education

The conversation around homeschooling in the Philippines has evolved significantly over the past few years. What was once considered an alternative education option has become a mainstream choice for many families seeking greater flexibility, personalized instruction, and learning environments that better fit their children's needs.

As demand grows, however, one question has become increasingly important: How do parents distinguish between homeschooling programs that simply deliver lessons online and those that provide a structured, recognized education?

The answer is becoming more relevant as families look beyond convenience and focus on academic quality, long-term learning outcomes, and educational continuity.

Homeschooling is growing but quality varies

The rise of homeschooling has been driven by several factors, including lessons learned during the pandemic, the expansion of digital learning technologies, and growing interest in personalized education.

For some families, homeschooling accommodates competitive athletes, young performers, entrepreneurs, or children with unique learning styles. Others value the flexibility to travel, relocate, or spend more time together without disrupting a child's education.

Yet homeschooling is not a single model. Programs differ in curriculum, teacher support, accreditation, assessment methods, and student engagement.

For parents, choosing a provider increasingly means evaluating not just flexibility but also credibility and long-term educational value.

NTC combines academic heritage with digital learning

The National Teachers' College, in collaboration with APEC Schools, has developed NTC Homeschool SmartClass, a DepEd-recognized online homeschooling program designed for Kindergarten through Grade 10 learners.

The initiative combines the National Teachers' College's decades of teacher education experience with APEC Schools' digital learning infrastructure.

Rather than positioning homeschooling as a substitute for traditional education, the program aims to provide a structured academic pathway that balances flexibility with recognized educational standards.

What makes the program different?

One of the program's distinguishing features is its learner-centered approach.

Instead of emphasizing memorization and standardized testing, NTC Homeschool SmartClass encourages students to demonstrate understanding through practical application, interdisciplinary learning, and project-based activities.

Among its key features are:

• DepEd-recognized curriculum that follows Philippine basic education standards.
• Flexible scheduling, allowing students to learn at their own pace while maintaining academic structure.
• 24/7 access to recorded lessons and learning materials.
• One-on-one consultations with Subject Matter Experts when additional guidance is needed.
• A collaborative support system involving parents, teachers, and academic coordinators.

The program also integrates social experiences such as field trips, meetups, and community activities, addressing one of the most common concerns associated with homeschooling: opportunities for peer interaction.

Rethinking student assessment

Traditional education often measures achievement through written examinations.

NTC Homeschool SmartClass introduces an alternative assessment called the Quarterly Learning Narrative Presentation (QLNP).

Rather than focusing solely on test scores, students present their learning journey, discussing academic achievements, challenges, and personal growth directly with their parents.

This approach places greater emphasis on communication skills, self-reflection, and ownership of learning—competencies that education experts increasingly recognize as valuable alongside academic performance.

Why flexible education is becoming a strategic investment

The growing interest in homeschooling reflects broader changes in education and the future workforce.

Employers increasingly value adaptability, collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and lifelong learning alongside technical knowledge.

Educational models that encourage independent learning and self-management may help students develop these competencies earlier.

For parents, flexible education is also becoming a lifestyle decision.

Families balancing international travel, entrepreneurial work, creative careers, or specialized athletic training often require learning systems that adapt to their schedules rather than requiring schedules to revolve around school calendars.

Programs capable of combining academic credibility with this flexibility are likely to become increasingly relevant.

The business of alternative education

The expansion of structured homeschooling also reflects a broader shift within the education sector.

Private education providers are investing in digital platforms, learning technologies, and personalized instruction as demand diversifies beyond conventional classroom models.

Rather than replacing traditional schools, alternative education programs are expanding the range of learning pathways available to Filipino families.

For institutions with established academic reputations, this creates opportunities to extend their expertise into new delivery models while maintaining educational quality.

The bigger picture

Homeschooling is no longer simply about learning from home.

It has become part of a larger conversation about how education can better accommodate different learners, family circumstances, and future career demands.

NTC Homeschool SmartClass reflects this evolution by combining recognized academic standards with flexible delivery, personalized instruction, and digital learning tools.

As Filipino families continue exploring alternatives to traditional education, the conversation is shifting from whether homeschooling works to which homeschooling models are best equipped to prepare learners for the future.

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Philippine Pickleball's Next Challenge Isn't More Courts. It's More Qualified Coaches.

Philippine Pickleball's Next Challenge Isn't More Courts. It's More Qualified Coaches.

Thursday, July 23, 2026

The rapid rise of pickleball in the Philippines has been impossible to ignore. What began as a niche recreational activity has evolved into one of the country's fastest-growing sports, attracting players of all ages, new investments, and international attention.

But while new courts and tournaments continue to fuel participation, industry leaders believe the next phase of growth will depend on something less visible: building a strong coaching ecosystem.

That is the focus of RacketPro (RPO) APAC, which is bringing its internationally recognized Level 1 Coach Certification Tour to Manila, Cebu, and Davao in an effort to help develop the next generation of Filipino pickleball coaches.

Why coaching matters as pickleball grows

Participation is no longer the biggest hurdle for Philippine pickleball.

According to the Philippine Pickleball Federation, the country now has:

• 492 affiliated pickleball clubs
• More than 46,400 registered players
• 427 playing venues nationwide
• 86 dedicated courts located across 29 shopping malls

These numbers illustrate how quickly the sport has moved into the mainstream.

However, as player numbers increase, demand also grows for coaches who can teach proper technique, improve player development, and help clubs establish structured training programs.

Without qualified instructors, participation may continue to rise while overall playing standards struggle to keep pace.

Investment is accelerating—but infrastructure alone isn't enough

The business side of pickleball is also expanding rapidly.

Among the largest announced projects is the planned Helios Pickleball Center, backed by Robinsons Land and Kosmas Athletic Ventures, with investments expected to reach ₱1 billion. The facility is expected to feature 25 tournament-grade courts and a 2,000-seat stadium court.

International organizations are also increasing their presence.

UPA Asia plans to stage multiple PPA Tour Asia events at the venue beginning in 2027, while JOOLA continues strengthening its footprint through strategic partnerships.

For the business community, these developments signal growing confidence in pickleball as both a participation sport and an emerging sports industry.

Yet infrastructure alone does not create a sustainable sporting ecosystem.

Successful sports development also requires coaches, officials, administrators, and education programs that can support athletes over the long term.

How RacketPro aims to strengthen the coaching pipeline

RacketPro APAC's Philippine tour focuses on developing coaching capability rather than organizing competitions.

The organization will conduct Level 1 Coach Certification workshops in:

• Manila - July 29
• Cebu - July 31
• Davao - August 2

The program is expected to certify more than 100 Filipino coaches.

Designed for aspiring coaches, instructors, and experienced players transitioning into coaching roles, the certification combines virtual coursework with practical, on-court instruction.

Participants will learn:

• Player assessment techniques
• Lesson planning
• Coaching communication
• Beginner and intermediate player development
• Modern coaching methodology

Rather than focusing solely on technical skills, the curriculum emphasizes how coaches can effectively teach, evaluate, and develop players.

Global expertise comes to the Philippines

Leading the certification workshops are three experienced figures in international pickleball Collin Johns, Technical Director of RacketPro, Connor Nguyen, and Derek Sawer.

Their involvement reflects another important trend in Philippine sports: international knowledge transfer.

Instead of simply importing tournaments, organizations are increasingly bringing coaching education and professional development into emerging markets.

Why coach education creates long-term value

Strong coaching systems benefit more than elite athletes.

Well-trained coaches help beginners learn proper techniques, reduce injury risks, improve player retention, and build stronger local clubs.

For businesses investing in sports infrastructure, coaching education also protects those investments by ensuring facilities remain active with quality programming long after construction is complete.

Countries that have successfully developed sports industries—from tennis and badminton to football and basketball—have generally invested in coach education alongside athlete development.

Pickleball appears to be following a similar path.

The Philippines has already demonstrated that there is strong demand for pickleball.

The next question is whether the country can build the expertise needed to sustain that momentum.

As more international tournaments arrive and new facilities open, developing qualified coaches may become one of the most important investments in ensuring Philippine pickleball continues to grow—not just in numbers, but in quality, competitiveness, and long-term sustainability.

For organizations like RacketPro APAC, coaching is no longer a supporting role. It is becoming one of the foundations of the sport's future.

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Fiuu Strengthens Southeast Asia Payment Network with JCB Direct Acquiring License

Fiuu Strengthens Southeast Asia Payment Network with JCB Direct Acquiring License

As digital commerce continues to expand across Southeast Asia, payment providers are investing in infrastructure that makes transactions faster, more reliable, and easier for businesses to manage. Fiuu's latest milestone reflects that shift, with the fintech company securing a JCB Direct Acquiring license that strengthens card acceptance across key markets in the region.

The new license allows Fiuu to connect directly with JCB's payment network in Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, giving merchants a more streamlined way to accept JCB card payments across both online and physical stores. Thailand is expected to be the next market added under the company's regional expansion strategy.

What is a JCB Direct Acquiring license?

A direct acquiring license allows a payment service provider to process card transactions directly with a card network instead of routing them through third-party intermediaries.

For merchants, this can translate into:

• Faster payment settlement
• Improved transaction reliability
• Better visibility into payment activity
• More consistent card acceptance
• Greater operational efficiency

By removing additional layers in the payment process, payment providers gain more control over transaction processing, merchant support, and settlement operations.

For companies operating across Southeast Asia, payment acceptance has become a competitive advantage rather than simply a technical requirement.

Consumers increasingly expect businesses to support multiple payment methods, whether shopping online, paying through mobile devices, or purchasing in physical stores.

Fiuu's direct connection with JCB enables merchants to serve a broader customer base, particularly travelers and consumers who rely on JCB cards for purchases across the region.

The move also simplifies payment management for businesses expanding into multiple Southeast Asian markets by allowing them to work with a single regional acquiring partner.

Southeast Asia's digital payments market continues to grow

The announcement comes as Southeast Asia experiences sustained growth in digital commerce.

According to figures cited by Fiuu, three out of five consumers in the region now shop online, while more than 60% of payments are made digitally.

Although QR payments and digital wallets continue to gain popularity, credit cards remain an important payment method because of established consumer spending habits and rewards programs.

This combination of payment options has created growing demand for payment providers capable of supporting multiple channels while maintaining reliable processing across borders.

Fiuu expands its regional payment infrastructure

The new license builds on Fiuu's existing regional payment operations.

The company reported processing US$13 billion in payment volume during fiscal year 2025, demonstrating its ability to support high transaction volumes across different industries and markets.

By becoming a direct acquirer for JCB, Fiuu strengthens its position within Southeast Asia's payment ecosystem while reducing dependence on intermediary payment processors.

The company also plans to extend its direct acquiring capability to Thailand, further expanding its regional footprint.

Why JCB remains an important payment network

JCB is one of Asia's largest payment brands and serves millions of cardholders worldwide.

As of 2026, the payment network has 181 million cards in circulation globally and is accepted by 72 million merchants.

For businesses targeting Japanese travelers, international customers, and regional shoppers, supporting JCB payments can help broaden payment acceptance while improving customer convenience.

The bigger picture

The partnership between Fiuu and JCB reflects a broader trend shaping Southeast Asia's fintech sector.

As cross-border commerce accelerates, businesses increasingly need payment partners that combine local expertise with regional infrastructure. Direct acquiring helps simplify payment operations, improve transaction performance, and provide merchants with greater visibility into their payment ecosystem.

For merchants expanding across Southeast Asia, these capabilities can reduce operational complexity while making it easier to serve customers through both online and offline sales channels.

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