The interagency Financial Stability Coordination Council (FSCC) has flagged rising risks to the Philippine financial system stemming from the prolonged war in the Middle East, increasing corporate vulnerabilities, and growing household debt, although officials said the country’s banking sector...
The inflation-targeting Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is expected to continue raising interest rates to contain surging inflation despite the risk of slower economic growth. In a May 22 report, Japanese financial giant MUFG Bank Ltd. said the Philippines is facing one of the most severe...
Philippine economic growth would continue to underperform this year and next as the country faces not only headwinds from a prolonged war in the Middle East but also domestic challenges related to politics and corruption, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF). The IIF’s latest...
Prolonged conflict in the Middle East would stretch the resources of oil importers like the Philippines and further hurt consumers already reeling from elevated prices, according to think tank Capital Economics. In a May 14 report by its global economics team, Capital Economics said that under an...
The Philippine peso plummeted again to a new historic low, brushing the whiskers of the ₱62:$1 level on the back of strong demand for the safe-haven United States (US) dollar and a local market that has turned more sensitive to uncertainties. The peso started the week at a new record low against...
The peso’s descent to unprecedented lows is facing a volatile new headwind, with MUFG Bank Ltd. warning that an escalating political feud between the nation’s two most powerful dynasties threatens to upend investor confidence. The Japanese financial institution said that the deepening rift...
SM Markets expands its presence in Muntinlupa with the opening of Savemart at Starplaza Agro on May 7, 2026. Shoppers can expect the same affordable grocery options that SM Markets is known for across its established brands—SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, and Savemore—along with a variety of...
Malabon police have sounded the alarm over rising "salisi" thefts, warning that distraction gangs are prowling crowded markets and busy streets to snatch valuables from unsuspecting shoppers. Authorities said suspects typically operate by using diversion tactics such as initiating conversations,...
While the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is seen raising key borrowing costs by up to 100 basis points (bps) more should inflation worsen, MUFG Bank Ltd. warned that such hawkish adjustments may not be enough to prop up the underperforming peso. According to the Japanese financial giant, the...
British banking giant HSBC is now leaning toward back-to-back jumbo interest rate hikes that could lift policy rates to six percent, as signs of de-escalation in Middle East tensions remain muted—potentially forcing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to add another layer to its...
While Asian currencies have been on a modest decline since Middle East tensions flared up, Japanese financial giant MUFG Bank Ltd. said the Philippine peso was the biggest loser among regional currencies, given the domestic economy’s high exposure to imported oil. Separately, think tank Capital...
British banking giant Barclays expects Philippine economic growth this year to fall to a new post-pandemic low, even as easing tensions in the Middle East may help limit further downside risks to the outlook. An April 17 report obtained by Manila Bulletin showed Barclays’ latest forecast of just...
