Monetary authorities are widely expected to deliver a third consecutive 25-basis-point interest rate increase on Thursday, Aug. 27, as persistent supply disruptions, recent wage hikes, and a weakening currency keep inflation risks tilted to the upside. A majority of private-sector economists...
Philippine stock market investors will be mainly looking forward to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) policy meeting on Thursday, Aug. 27, while continuing to monitor the conflict in the Middle East, which has recently been causing oil prices to rise and the peso to weaken. “With no end in...
Aboitiz-led Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) reported a 113-percent surge in net income to ₱6.9 billion in the first half of 2026 from ₱3.3 billion in the same period last year, sustaining its strong performance, particularly in the credit card business, which took off in the second...
International Finance Corp. (IFC) expects its investment in Aboitiz-led Union Bank of the Philippines’ (UnionBank) inaugural sustainability bond to broaden access to climate finance, expand lending to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as encourage more Philippine financial...
International Finance Corp. (IFC), the World Bank Group’s (WBG) investment arm, is investing $100 million in Union Bank of the Philippines’ (UnionBank) first sustainability bond to help the Aboitiz-led bank expand its green and social asset portfolio. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock...
Passing the torch in a family-run enterprise is an intricate dance of preserving legacy while allowing room for disruptive innovation; it is never just about changing signatures on corporate bylaws. In the Philippines, family-controlled empires are the bedrock of the economy, and as a generation of...
Digital payment transactions coursed through PESONet and InstaPay surged to ₱13.18 trillion in the first five months of the year, with transaction volumes nearly tripling as Filipinos increasingly rely on digital channels for their daily needs. According to the latest data from the Bangko Sentral...
Money sent home by overseas Filipinos (OFs) fell to $2.72 billion in April, dropping from the $2.87 billion recorded in March to hit its lowest level since May last year, as tighter budgets constrained cash transfers. According to the latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) released...
Philippine banks’ bad loan ratio deteriorated to 3.37 percent as of end-April 2026, marking an eight-month high, likely due to the delayed impact of elevated borrowing rates on borrowers. The latest Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed that the banking industry’s gross non-performing...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is facing a delicate balancing act as foreign and local lenders price in a minimum five percent benchmark interest rate by the end of 2026. Economists said that mounting stagflationary pressures and the potential de-escalation of geopolitical conflicts in the...
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. has urged banks to continue strengthening governance, transparency, and internal controls, saying these safeguards become most critical during periods of economic and financial uncertainty. Speaking during the inaugural Corporate...
Signs of stagflation are surfacing in the Philippine economy as it enters the second quarter of 2026, with private sector economists warning of a precarious mix of stalled growth and surging consumer prices. The country’s economic output likely posted only a tepid recovery from the previous...
