DTI Offers Up to ₱20-M Business Loans to OFWs

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is offering loans ranging from ₱30,000 up to ₱20 million to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who plan to set up businesses upon returning to the country.

The DTI emphasized that the OFW Negosyo Fund represents a strategic opportunity for Filipino migrant workers and their families to establish secure livelihoods in the country. (Photo: OWWA Facebook)

The financing opportunity is also open to OFWs who may be forced to return home after being displaced from their overseas jobs due to external developments, including the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the department said.

It added that a total of ₱2 billion has been earmarked for the loan facility, dubbed the “OFW Negosyo Fund,” through its financing arm, the Small Business Corp. (SBCorp).

Applications for the loan program start on March 12.

The facility is being rolled out as the conflict continues to widen in the Middle East, home to more than two million OFWs, based on government data.

“We are committed to opening doors for OFWs ready to come home and invest in their own country, especially when external crises force their hand,” DTI Secretary Maria Cristina Roque said.

“Access to capital is often the biggest barrier during these uncertain transitions. Through DTI-SBCorp, we’ve tailored this fund to equip them with the resources to build, hire and secure their families’ futures—no matter the circumstances,” Roque added.

The loan amount will depend on the scale of the proposed business.

According to the DTI, borrowers will be given a one-year grace period during which no payments on principal or interest will be required. Repayment terms may extend up to five years, with flexible options depending on the loan product.

No collateral will be required for loans of up to ₱5 million.

Interested OFWs may apply through SBCorp’s mobile app or through the web platform at app.sbcorp.ph, where online registration is also available.

The department added that 1,431 Negosyo Centers nationwide are ready to assist applicants who may need help preparing business plans or navigating DTI programs.

The DTI emphasized that the OFW Negosyo Fund represents a strategic opportunity for Filipino migrant workers and their families to establish secure livelihoods in the country.

It also aims to encourage enterprise development among OFWs, who have long been hailed as “modern-day heroes” for helping sustain the Philippine economy with billions of dollars in remittances each year.