Lending by universal and commercial banks (U/KBs) posted its fastest growth in 15 months in May, as lenders continued to see steady credit demand from businesses and households in the second quarter of 2026. The latest preliminary Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed bank lending growth...
Even as gold holdings thinned to an eight-month low, the Philippines’ gross international reserves (GIR) still rebounded in June, reaching $104.8 billion after hitting a 16-month low in May, as the government’s foreign-currency deposits with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) outpaced its...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has summoned commercial lenders that have failed to lower their digital fund transfer fees, demanding justification for transaction charges that regulators say violate new fairness guidelines. BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto E. Tangonan said the central bank called...
Despite headline inflation easing further to 6.4 percent in June, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) warned that price pressures from global oil prices remain strong, assuring the public that it stands ready to take the necessary policy actions to steer inflation back to its three-percent...
The Philippine economy retains the capacity to absorb further monetary tightening even as it navigates a prolonged growth slowdown, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. said. Remolona said during a media briefing on Monday, July 6, that a potential 25-basis-point interest...
Consumer price growth likely slowed for another month in June, driven by declining global oil and food costs alongside a recovering currency, according to private-sector economists. A median forecast from regional banks and analysts projects headline inflation to have moderated to between 6.5...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is delaying the selection of four new digital banking players as it seeks to reconcile conflicting regulatory tracks for different types of applicants. While the market anticipated the entry of the new digital lenders as early as the first quarter, BSP Governor...
The central bank is grappling with an “unusual” inflation shock following the historic ₱85 daily minimum wage hike in Metro Manila, though a hyper-aggressive policy response is unlikely, according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. On the sidelines of a BSP book...
Currency pressures from the global oil shock have dissipated, allowing the Philippine peso to rebound and even outperform other regional currencies, Singapore-based UOB said, which expects the previously battered currency to fare better against the United States (US) dollar thanks to falling oil...
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor (BSP) Eli Remolona Jr. expects a broader wave of lenders to slash or eliminate fund transfer costs, following aggressive fee waivers by some of the country’s largest banking institutions ahead of a strict weekend regulatory deadline. Speaking at a BSP book...
American financial giant Goldman Sachs Group Inc. expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to raise key borrowing costs through three more 25-basis-point (bp) hikes to 5.5 percent, citing the looming inflation threat from El Niño coupled with the oil shock—a “quicker” transmission of...
Philippine banks’ bad loan ratio further deteriorated to 3.44 percent as of end-May, marking a nine-month high as borrowers struggled to settle loans due to elevated borrowing and business costs. The latest Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed that the banking industry’s gross...
