FIRST launched in 2023 in response to the growing need for financial literacy, the Mindanao Traders Expo returns on July 31 to August 1, 2025, at the Tagum City Hall Atrium. With over 3,000 expected attendees, including students from various schools, the event aims to provide a dynamic platform for traders, students, and educators to learn, collaborate, and grow.
“It started after the pandemic when most people were still vulnerable to financial scams,” said Maximo Ginez III, the Mindanao Traders Expo event organizer during the Habi at Kape, June 25, 2025. “Way back in 2018 or 2019, Tagum became the epicenter of investment scams. The expo was born to combat this by educating people regarding financial literacy.”
Ginez emphasized the importance of community-based learning, saying this year’s theme focuses on collective financial literacy.
“If you learn how to invest and do business with others in your community, it becomes easier to understand and harder for scammers to take advantage of you,” he said.
When asked how to boost Mindanao’s trading landscape, Ginez stressed that education is key.
“If we know how to invest and do business properly, we can avoid falling victim to scams,” he added.
This year’s expo will feature more collaborations with government agencies, including the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group for scam prevention, and the Tesda for the development of a national competency standard in trading and finance.
“Tesda will help create a curriculum that certifies skills in financial trading,” Ginez said.
He also highlighted the success of their recent campus tour and trading camp at Ateneo de Davao University, and teased new features of this year’s expo.
“There will be more participating foreign exchange brokers and authors giving away merchandise and books,” he said. “Six foreign exchange brokers have already confirmed, including First Metro Securities and AIA Insurance.”
While there are no official collaborations yet with education agencies like CHED, Ginez said they are open to working with them.
“If someone can help connect us, we’d be more than happy to collaborate,” he said.
On the topic of online gambling, Ginez clarified that trading should not be compared to games of chance.
“Gambling relies on luck. Trading depends on technical skills and financial analysis,” he said. “That’s why we’re pushing this kind of education—to guide people toward trading, not gambling.”
As for whether trading requires capital, Ginez pointed out that knowledge comes first.
“Trading doesn’t necessarily require money—just skill,” he emphasized.
In closing, Ginez encouraged the public to take part in the expo’s financial literacy programs:
“Make your money work for you.”
