Blockchain for government budget process ensures fiscal transparency
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has become the first government agency in Asia to place budget documents on blockchain, marking a bold shift toward digital trust and fiscal transparency.
In partnership with BayaniChain and ExakIT Services, the DBM launched blockchain.dbm.gov.ph, a platform where Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs) and Notices of Cash Allocation (NCAs) are immutably stored and verifiable. This ensures documents cannot be altered, protecting against fraud and tampering.
“Blockchain is more than a buzzword—it’s a governance tool. By leveraging this technology, we can ensure that every peso is accounted for, every transaction is transparent, and every citizen can trust how public funds are managed,” said DBM Undersecretary Goddes Hope “Sasa” Libiran.
The process starts with the DBM’s Action Document Releasing System (ADRS), which issues official budget papers. These are then secured on BayaniChain’s Lumen Blockchain-as-a-Service, co-developed with ExakIT. Using the Prismo Protocol, sensitive information is safeguarded while public details are written to the Polygon blockchain as NFTs. Citizens can verify a SARO or NCA by scanning its QR code or by searching the portal.
This innovation addresses long-standing issues in public finance, such as inefficiency, audit challenges, and corruption risks. By recording SAROs and NCAs on-chain, the DBM provides a tamper-proof trail, making budget transactions both transparent and traceable in near real time.
BayaniChain CEO Paul Soliman emphasized that the project combines blockchain and AI to strengthen transparency and security. AI-assisted analytics will eventually help detect anomalies, forecast budget needs, and simplify complex data for public dashboards.
The DBM envisions expanding blockchain to cover the entire budget lifecycle—from planning and allocation to procurement, disbursement, and auditing. Pilot programs are already underway.
“We’re not just digitizing SAROs and NCAs, we’re building a next-generation public finance system that combines blockchain transparency with Artificial Intelligence to allocate resources more effectively and uphold accountability at every level,” Libiran added.
This move positions the Philippines as a regional leader in digital governance, setting a model for neighboring countries aiming to modernize fiscal systems.
