UnionBank and Soirée by Retail Lab announce full-year partnership to support local entrepreneurs

Left Photo (Photo seated from left to right) Dino Velasco (UnionBank, Institutional Segment Marketing Head), Claudine Paulino (Soirée, Founder and Managing Director), and Rosanna Aranaz (Soirée, Founder and Managing Director)

Right Photo (Standing Photo) Trixie Cruz Shimamoto (UnionBank, SME Marketing Manager), Dino Velasco (UnionBank, Institutional Segment Marketing Head), Rosanna Aranaz (Soirée, Founder and Managing Director), and Claudine Paulino (Soirée, Founder and Managing Director)

UnionBank of the Philippines (UnionBank), a champion of elevating Negosyantes—the Bank’s collective term for Filipino, small, and medium entrepreneurs—has renewed its partnership with Soirée by Retail Lab, one of Metro Manila’s most popular bazaars, for a full-year pact to spotlight local businesses.

The partnership will kick off with the Summer Soirée Bazaar on May 16 to 17, 2026, at The Fifth Rockwell, Makati City, followed by the Super Soirée Sale on September 18 to 20, 2026. For the Christmas season, two Holiday Soirées will take place on December 12 to 13, then on December 18 to 20 at SMX Convention Center Aura.

All four events will feature hundreds of local Negosyantes, providing them with the opportunity to showcase their products to a broader market and grow their ventures through UnionBank’s business solutions.

“Our year-long partnership with Soirée reaffirms our commitment to supporting homegrown businesses and highlighting their intrinsic role as the backbone of the economy,” said UnionBank’s Institutional Segment Marketing Head, Dino Velasco. “UnionBank’s mission is to empower Filipino Negosyantes with the financial tools to help them build and grow their businesses, while also unlocking opportunities and enhancing the customer journey.”

UnionBank and Soirée by the Retail Lab’s 2026 partnership builds on its successful slate of events in 2025. In the Super Soirée Sale last October 2025 at The Fifth at Rockwell, over 10,000 shoppers supported local businesses seamlessly through UnionBank’s innovative payment solutions.

“As our shopper base continues to grow, so does the need for scale, efficiency, and innovation,” said Soirée co-founder and Managing Director ClaudinePaulino. “UnionBank’s mission to support SMEs has helped us provide larger venues, higher foot traffic, and more brands—reinforcing Soirée’s role as a key marketplace for emerging and established Filipino entrepreneurs,” said Soirée co-founder Rosanna Aranaz.

At the bazaars, entrepreneurs can seamlessly manage business transactions through the UB Negosyante app. The pioneering platform features a QRPH-enabled system, which allows business owners to generate QR codes for easy payment collection—helping them focus on growing their businesses, unlocked from traditional constraints. [TC1] As a special perk, the first 100 UnionBank debit or credit card holders and UB Online users will enjoy free entrance to the event.

Aspiring entrepreneurs can learn more about UnionBank’s offerings for Negosyantes at the events. Among these is the UnionBank BizStarter Account, an entry-level checking account that lowers barriers to banking with a required initial deposit of only Php 5,000.

For businesses that need additional support, UnionBank offers Business Line, a revolving credit line that provides small and medium enterprises with access to up to Php 10 million for various purposes such as expansion or additional working capital.

“UnionBank is proud to support local entrepreneurs and help them thrive in this digital-first economy. Through our UB Negosyante solutions, these hardworking and resourceful businessmen and women can harness the power of technology to further enhance their operations, and enable them to live a life unlocked,” said Velasco.

For more information on UnionBank’s efforts and offerings for Negosyantes, visit the UnionBank website at www.unionbankph.com, or follow on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, or Youtube. Union Bank of the Philippines is regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas https://www.bsp.gov.ph. Deposits are insured by PDIC up to 1 Million pesos.