Etaily lands strategic investment from Japan’s SMBC – bringing total funding to $24M for Social Commerce enablement platform
etaily, the Philippines’ digital-native retail platform, has secured new strategic investments led by Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), through its SMBC Asia Rising fund, bringing its total funding to over $24 million. Other investors in this round include Kaya Founders, JGDEV of the Gokongwei Group as well as other notable Asia-based families.
etaily enables some of the world’s best-known consumer brands in Southeast Asia, including Levi’s, Skechers, Abbott, L’Oreal among others. Etaily operates the eCommerce and marketing arm of more than 80 consumer brands and combines this with brand building, in having built Philippines fastest growing pet food brand Floof Pets next to supplements brands Nutrie among others. Gross Sales have doubled in the last 12 months as it accelerates growth in the region’s $230B retail market.
The Financial Times ranks etaily as one of the fastest growing companies in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025.
The investment comes right after Financial Times (FT) ranked etaily as the third fastest growing company in the APAC region, and the fastest growing in the Philippines. Only 2 other companies in the APAC region were from the Philippines, among 2000 peers.
Expanding across Southeast Asia with WPP partnership
Headquartered in the Philippines, etaily aims to build a multi-country cluster across Malaysia, Singapore, and beyond, enabling brands to enter and scale in Southeast Asia. A recently announced partnership with WPP Media strengthens etaily’s retail and media enablement capabilities, combining commerce infrastructure with world-class marketing expertise. The WPP Media Partnership aims to address Social Commerce Needs for clients in the cluster Philipines-Malaysia-Singapore, with recently first lifestyle brands onboarded in this cluster.
Southeast Asia’s e-commerce market is projected to reach $230 billion in GMV by 2026, with the Philippines identified as the fastest-growing e-commerce market globally in 2024, expanding 25% year-on-year.
According to Bain & Company, the region is expected to gain 140 million new consumers by 2030, with the Philippines leading in digital adoption. The country also records the highest online utilization rates in Southeast Asia, with users spending an average of eight hours per day on mobile devices.
As part of Etaily’s ongoing growth, the company has further strengthened its board governance. Ayala Corporation will now be represented by Mark Uy, Managing Director and Head of Corporate Strategy and Business Development. Etaily also welcomes Brian Go, Chief Financial Officer of the Gokongwei Group, as a new board member. The board additionally includes representatives from Temasek’s Pavilion Capital and others. This new composition reinforces Etaily’s strategic governance and alignment with its long-term regional expansion goals.
A platform built for global brands
Founded in 2020 by Alexander Friedhoff, etaily has processed over 40 million orders across Lazada, Shopee, TikTok Shop and brand.com channels. Its proprietary commerce engine spans the full value chain, from brand development and operations to fulfillment and analytics, including the recently launched Livestreaming, Affiliates and Shortterm video solution.
Alexander Friedhoff, Founder & CEO of etaily, said: ”For the last five years, we’ve focused on building etaily into a commerce powerhouse for global brands in Southeast Asia. Now it is time to double down on the latest developments in Social Commerce and Livestreaming. With our massive focus on fully controlled livestream studios we will be able to offer asset-light operations, and now strengthened partnerships and investors, we are positioned to lead the next wave of online-first, offline-to-follow retail in our regional cluster.”
Katsufumi Uchida, Head of Asia Pacific Division and Managing Executive Officer of
SMBC added: “As we celebrate 10 years in the Philippines, SMBC Group remains dedicated to our Asia Multi-Franchise strategy, leveraging our extensive branch network to strengthen our presence in the Philippines and across the region, striving for the continued economic growth in the Philippines. We are excited to contribute to the expansion of local commerce ecosystems and to connect financial services with the evolving digital marketplace through strategic partnerships such as with etaily.“
Etaily’s growth has been supported by a range of prominent investors, including major conglomerates like Ayala Corporation, Southeast Asia’s oldest conglomerate, as well as the Gokongwei Group, Landmark’s Cheng family, and the Po family behind Century Pacific Food Corporation. In 2023 Etaily raised its last funding round, a Series A which was led by an investment from Taiwan’s SKS Capital and Singapore’s Pavilion Capital, a private equity firm under Temasek Holdings. Other investors include the Magsaysay Family, Kaya Founders, Japan’s SBI (former Soft bank) ICCP Fund and Foxmont Capital.
