Loans issued by foreign currency deposit units (FCDU) of banks increased modestly to $15.8 billion as of end-December 2024 as disbursements exceeded principal repayments, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed. The increase in the last quarter of 2024 was $72.4 million or...
The Philippines would buck the trend of weak growth prospects in emerging markets (EMs) amid the United States' (US) tariffs threat, according to the think tank Capital Economics. "In all, aggregate EM GDP growth is likely to slow in the coming quarters... we think growth will generally fall short...
A weaker peso, caused by United States (US) tariffs lifting the US dollar and the Philippines' wider current account deficit, may delay further interest rate cuts by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), according to Japanese banking giant MUFG Bank Ltd. "We forecast the BSP to cut rates by...
First-quarter sentiment among local business owners revealed reduced confidence in the industry's health, primarily due to a seasonal decline in consumer demand following the holiday period. According to data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the overall confidence index (CI) declined to...
The country’s residential real estate market rebounded strongly in the final three months of last year, with nationwide property prices climbing by 6.7 percent, driven by substantial growth in areas outside Metro Manila. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that the...
Large companies' heavy reliance on bank loans, particularly from major local banks, could amplify vulnerabilities within the Philippine financial sector, according to the 2024 Financial Stability Report (FSR). "Corporates’ heavy reliance on bank funding could amplify credit risks to the financial...
Digital payment transactions via PESONet and InstaPay increased by over 34 percent to ₱1.65 trillion in Febraury from ₱1.23 trillion in the same month last year. This is equivalent to a ₱420 billion increase from February 2024, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data. However,...
US President Donald J. Trump's protectionist policies remain the top risk to Philippine economic prospects this year, according to the think tank Capital Economics. "A key uncertainty over the coming year is whether and to what extent Donald Trump follows through with his threats to impose tariffs...
Amid tariff war-saturated global uncertainty and rising domestic prices, the potential for an inflation surge weighs heavily on the central bank's contemplated April 10 interest rate reduction. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. said in an interview with Bloomberg...
About ₱1.4 billion was the total value of coins the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) collected from its coin deposit machines installed across Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces. According to the central bank, the total coin deposits increased by nearly eight percent, or ₱100 million,...
More money is expected to flow out of the Philippines over 2025 and 2026, as the country is projected to import more than it exports and the services sector is seen to underperform, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). “The Philippine balance of payments (BOP) position is projected...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has strongly called on banks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) to strengthen their surveillance and monitoring systems to prevent the misuse of digital channels for vote-buying in the upcoming May 12 elections. “The BSP strongly calls for the...
