Philippine banks’ bad loan ratio climbed to 3.33 percent in February, marking its highest level in six months—a level that remains manageable but still warrants closer monitoring if higher interest rates persist. According to the latest Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data, the banking...
Previously capping loan terms at five years at most, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has moved to amend this rule, proposing a principles-based approach where loan length will be based on a comprehensive assessment of a borrower’s creditworthiness. Under a draft circular, which is...
British banking giant Barclays sees the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) holding key interest rates steady at this month’s policy meeting before possibly hiking in June, in a bid to support the already weak economic growth outlook even prior to the war in the Middle East. “With the ceasefire...
Continued vigilance over the persistent risks to the Philippine sovereign position is the vow the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has pledged after debt watcher S&P Global Ratings downgraded its outlook to ‘stable’ from ‘positive.’ S&P on Wednesday, April 9, revised the Philippines’...
The jump in the March inflation rate has set the stage for a potential 50-basis-point (bp) rate hike by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) during the second quarter, according to global investment banking giant Goldman Sachs. In an April 7 report obtained by Manila Bulletin, Goldman Sachs...
A double-digit decline in the previously record-high gold reserves, coupled with falling foreign investments, drove the Philippines’ gross international reserves (GIR)—the country’s stock of foreign currencies and other assets—to its lowest level in more than half a year last month. GIR...
Philippine banks’ exposure to real estate lending dropped to its lowest level in seven years in the fourth quarter of 2025, as domestic lenders gravitated toward other high-growth sectors while keeping real estate exposure in check. According to the latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng...
Demand for government securities (GS) improved at the start of the second quarter, but the Marcos Jr. administration still struggled to raise its planned ₱27 billion in short-term debt papers, as overall interest costs remained elevated amid anticipation of a policy hike in April. During the...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has likely exhausted its window for monetary easing as resurgent price pressures threaten to breach the upper limit of its target range, according to the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO). While the Philippine economy shows signs of stabilizing...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is moving to shield borrowers from the immediate financial fallout of natural disasters by proposing a regulatory relief package that includes a half-year moratorium on loan penalties. Under a draft BSP circular currently under review, non-bank financial...
The Philippines is more vulnerable to “stagflationary” shock than any of its Southeast Asian neighbors as surging energy costs and cooling domestic demand squeeze the country’s economy, according to Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. (OCBC) In a research note published last week, OCBC economists...
The Philippines is facing an inflationary shock that could spill over to slower economic growth, potential job losses, and more capital market outflows amid a prolonged Middle East conflict, according to the World Bank. The global oil price and supply shock wrought by the war in Iran would “raise...
