The country’s total financial system resources are poised to exceed P32 trillion around the last quarter of 2024 amid the continued growth of bank deposits, capital and in anticipation of the central bank’s rate cuts.
Based on Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data, banks accounted for P26.463 trillion of the total resources as of end-May which was 12.3 percent higher year-on-year. This brought the total financial system resources to P31.787 trillion during the period, up 10.7 percent from same time last year of P28.716 trillion.
Financial resources are held by banks and non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) as funds and assets.
The BSP said the banking sector as the core of the financial system continues to be resilient and stable with a strong balance sheet, profitable operations, sufficient capital and liquidity buffers, as well as ample provision for probable losses.
By banking group, the big banks or the 44 universal and commercial banks accounted for bulk of total banking resources.
Meanwhile, the country’s 42 thrift banks accounted for P1.102 trillion which was 9.76 percent higher compared to last year’s P1.004 trillion.
As of end-June this year, there are 364 rural banks and 22 cooperative banks which contributed P458 billion to total resources, up 13.36 percent from P404 billion same time in 2023. The six digital banks held P105 billion of total resources from P79 billion same period last year.
NBFIs, on the other hand, accounted for P5.323 billion of total resources versus P5.151 trillion in 2022. NBFIs are investment houses, finance companies, investment companies, securities dealers/brokers, pawnshops and lending investors. Non Stocks Savings and Loan Associations (NSSLAs), credit card companies under BSP supervision, private insurance firms, Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System are also classified as NBFIs.
Presently, the BSP is supervising 1,526 NBFIs without quasi-banking function. These are investment firms, NSSLAs and pawnshops. Only five NBFIs have quasi-banking function which means they can borrow funds from 20 or more lenders. These include investment houses with trusts business, financing companies, among others.
To ensure the close monitoring of industry capital health and asset quality, the BSP has started its regular Systemic Risk Review (SRR) as part of enhancements to its overall systemic risk surveillance and analysis.
In a report, the BSP said it has been conducting SRR for the Financial Stability Coordinating Council (FSCC) as a “reference in crafting recommended courses of action.”
The SRR included new studies, enhanced methods, and “refined analytics that improved systemic risk analysis, identification of contagion channels, and assessment of conglomerate risks in the financial system.” It also covered key analyses and relevant notes related to the pension system, the payments network, and the risk price benchmark.
In 2023, the BSP conducted the second phase of the Macroprudential Stress Test. This is a test that captured new sets of data and improved methodology to detect vulnerabilities that affect credit risk in the financial system by analyzing leverage, liquidity, contagion, and concentration risks under different macroeconomic scenarios, it explained.
The BSP has been improving its systemic risk management models, metrics, and policies.