PSE launches online disclosure mobile app

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) has joined the app market with the official launch of its online disclosure system for mobile devices.

The rollout of the Electronic Disclosure Generation Technology (EDGE) app, the first exchange-sponsored in ASEAN, will allow the local bourse to deliver timely information to both retail and online investors, PSE officials said.

“This brings us to a level where we’re very competitive with other ASEAN exchanges in terms of bringing information to retail investors,” said PSE president and CEO Hans B. Sicat.

“We think this is a pretty big game-changer for individuals to be able to view their favorite company in real time,” Sicat said.

Sicat said the EDGE app, available to iOS- and Android-powered devices, will allow retail and online investors to get information at par with those enjoyed by professional investors.

“Over time, this will help increase not only interest in the stock market but hopefully bring about a culture of improved and increased transparency by our stakeholders,” Sicat said.

In December, the operator of the country’s stock exchange launched the website of its new disclosure engine that allowed faster dissemination of corporate announcements. PSE EDGE, the new online disclosure system, was designed and developed by the Korea Exchange.

The EDGE app, which is easier to navigate than the website, can be programmed to follow particular company developments, Sicat said.

PSE assistant vice-president John Benette Mamañgun said the app’s calendar function can also be synchronized to reflect the schedule of annual stockholder meetings.

In the future, the EDGE app can become a revenue source for the PSE through premium services like dividend yield or comparative data, Sicat said.

The PSE is also developing another mobile app, this time for PSETradex, a web-based trading management system, which will allow users to trade shares of stocks, monitor the order status, manage their stock portfolio and gather relevant information using their own computers or smartphones.

So far, there are 13 brokerage firms offering online trading services, three of which use the PSETradex platform. Another 10 trading participants are pilot testing the use of PSETradex, Sicat said.

PSETradex is a service provided by the PSE to brokerage firms who want to offer a web-based trading platform to their clients without having to develop their own online trading facility.

In 2012, online investor accounts surged 48.3 percent to 78,216 from 52,750 in 2011 as more investors took advantage of technology to trade stocks.