It is no consolation to be told that inflation is easing to less than seven percent in July of 2026. Even six percent is still three times the two percent or less annual inflation target that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)Bank should be aiming for. What is more concerning is that food...
Banknote withdrawals from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) slowed to single-digit growth last year from 12.5 percent in 2024, reflecting a possible shift toward digital channels for larger-value transactions as well as softer economic activity. “You could think of several reasons for that....
Salary increases in the Philippines are expected to remain moderate through next year as employers balance rising inflation, cost pressures, and the need to retain critical talent, according to global advisory, broking and solutions company Willis Towers Watson plc (WTW). In its latest Asia-Pacific...
Domestic banks and e-wallets should expand their product offerings and reduce their reliance on digital transaction fees as a key revenue source, according to a senior official of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). This comes on the heels of the BSP’s move to summon non-compliant financial...
Total resources of the Philippine financial system rebounded in May, reaching a record ₱37.64 trillion, nearly one percent higher than the ₱37.31 trillion recorded in April, driven by “some hedging and frontloading” of loans before further price spikes occur. This recovery was supported by...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is scrambling to reassess its inflation trajectory after Metro Manila’s unexpectedly large minimum wage hike threatened to trigger secondary price pressures. BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. admitted that the monetary authority was caught off guard by the scale...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported a sharp decline in counterfeit currency overall last year, though the regulator is contending with a sudden spike in fake polymer banknotes. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) annual report, documented counterfeit banknotes fell 17.1...
The renewed hostilities in the Middle East have altered the global economic algorithm, reversing cautious optimism and causing severe supply-driven inflation shocks that translate directly into a cost-of-living squeeze as the prices of goods rise. In the context of our daily lives, this...
Digital payments surged past the ₱16-trillion mark in the first half of the year, driven by the dramatic spike in transaction volumes as domestic banks and e-wallet providers aggressively slashed transfer fees. According to the latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), total...
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. said around $50-billion, or ₱3-trillion, worth of Philippine government bonds are eligible for inclusion in JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s emerging-market (EM) index, a move that could attract billions of dollars in additional foreign...
Philippine thrift banks are backing a central bank proposal to impose a ₱1 billion minimum capital requirement on lenders with highly digital business models, even as the industry continues to prioritize traditional brick-and-mortar growth. Chamber of Thrift Banks (CTB) Convention Committee...
Money sent home by overseas Filipinos (OFs) fell to $2.71 billion in May, dropping to its lowest level in a year and signaling that growth may be losing steam amid renewed deployment risks stemming from the Middle East conflict. The latest Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data released on...
