Australia’s Macquarie Group Foundation has entered a grant partnership with the Ayala Foundation to support social enterprises and youth employment programmes in Palawan, a province in the western Philippines. In a separate development, Australian crypto exchange Coinstash has raised A$4.7 million in a Series A round to scale its platform and expand its user base amid rising demand for digital asset investments in the country.
Macquarie commits $325,000 to Ayala Foundation
Macquarie Group Foundation has committed P19 million ($325,000) to the Ayala Foundation to support social enterprises and youth employability programmes in El Nido, Palawan.
The three-year grant will fund capacity-building and business development initiatives for six community-based social enterprises across agriculture, fisheries, transport, and weaving.
The partnership aims to expand the reach of these enterprises from 586 to 700 members, with the goal of increasing local monthly incomes to at least P19,000 by 2028, aligning with the Philippine government’s target of reducing poverty incidence to 9% over the next three years.
The grant will also support a youth leadership programme to prepare senior high school students and children of enterprise members for employment from the six community-based social enterprises, preparing them for job placements. Ayala Foundation plans to train 100 students per year, with a target of workforce readiness within six months of graduation.
Macquarie said the partnership is part of its broader focus on addressing structural barriers to employment in Asia. The foundation has funded 20 organisations in the region and deployed more than A$5 million in Asia in FY2024.
The latest grant builds on Macquarie’s relationship with Ayala Foundation, which began in 2020 through pandemic-related funding. The foundation previously supported youth training and livelihood programmes and awarded a seed grant in 2024 for academic and soft-skills development among 150 scholars.
“This partnership is also a testament to Macquarie’s dedication in addressing systemic barriers to employment in Asia and bridging the gap between current skills and the evolving demands of the job market,” Jasmine Chew, Regional Head of Asia for the Macquarie Group Foundation, said.
Coinstash raises $3.1m Series A to scale crypto investment platform
Brisbane-based crypto exchange Coinstash announced that it has raised A$4.7 million ($3.1 million) in a Series A round to expand its team, acquire new users, and enhance its platform capabilities.
The fundraise, which was led by a Brisbane-based family office, brought its total capital raised to over A$8 million.
With the fresh capital, Coinstash aims to onboard 100,000 new Australian investors as it banks on future development where digital assets are increasingly embedded in mainstream portfolios. Coinstash currently serves over 48,000 users and offers access to more than 1,000 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum.
“Locally, we’re seeing that same momentum as Australian investors increasingly seek secure, long-term access to digital assets as part of diversified portfolios. This funding allows us to scale the platform to meet that growing demand, while maintaining our core focus on security, compliance and innovation,” said CEO Ting Wang.
The company also said the funding will support Coinstash’s efforts to scale its platform amid growing institutional interest and a maturing regulatory environment for digital assets.
The company cited recent IPO activity from global players like Circle as a sign that crypto is evolving from speculative investing to established financial infrastructure—a trend it expects to see mirrored in Australia.
“We’re building for the future of digital finance in Australia,” said Wang. “As crypto matures, local platforms will need to meet the same standards of scale, governance, and transparency as public-market companies.”
