The World Bank warned that the Philippines’ broad-based economic slowdown in the first quarter of 2026 could spill over into weaker household incomes and higher food prices as the country grapples with an escalating energy price shock triggered by tensions in the Middle East. In its latest...
Seven multilateral development banks (MDBs), including the Manila-based Asian Development Bank and the World Bank Group (WBG), pledged coordinated support measures to help countries manage the economic fallout from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In a joint statement released in Paris,...
More than a decade after the World Bank approved financing for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project, the flagship urban transport initiative remains far from achieving its original objectives, with only a short section of the corridor substantially completed before the loan expires in...
The Philippines is aiming to spend nearly $300 million, or 30 percent, of its record-high $1 billion loan from the World Bank (WB) this year to augment the budget needed for programs aimed at helping the agriculture sector cushion the impact of the oil crisis. Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel...
The Philippines will repay until 2044 its biggest-ever loan from the World Bank, which will bankroll a sweeping agricultural transformation program aimed at boosting food production, modernizing farming systems, and strengthening climate resilience. Documents showed that Finance Secretary Frederick...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is moving to finalize a World Bank-backed roadmap for financial education this year, seeking to bolster the savings and investment habits of Filipinos as the country pursues deeper economic inclusion. In a May 14 statement, the BSP said the central bank is...
International Finance Corp. (IFC) has approved its planned investments in two private equity (PE) funds that are eyeing investments in the Philippines and the broader Southeast Asian region. In disclosures last May 7 and April 24, respectively, the World Bank Group’s (WBG) private-sector lending...
The World Bank has canceled part of the loans for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) while as project scope was pared down with only five months left before its financing closes. A May 8 restructuring paper seen by Manila Bulletin showed that the Washington-based multilateral lender, effective Jan....
The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the World Bank Group’s (WBG) arm that extends political risk insurance to both private-sector investors and lenders, has renewed its cooperation agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support investments and job creation across...
The Philippines will repay through 2041 an $800-million loan from the World Bank aimed at strengthening the country’s fiscal resilience, attracting higher-quality private investments, and equipping workers with skills for more productive and higher-value jobs. Documents showed that Finance...
The World Bank has approved an $18.85-million grant to strengthen the Philippines’ pandemic response, as the country is considered a global hotspot for emerging infectious and zoonotic diseases. The Washington-based multilateral lender’s board approved last April 29 the investment project...
The World Bank Group (WBG) has warned that the war in the Middle East is set to trigger the biggest energy price surge in four years, fueling inflation, slowing economic growth, and worsening food insecurity across developing economies. In an April 28 statement, the Washington-based multilateral...
