Critics of corporate sustainability often assume it means taking on increased costs and compliance requirements—usually driven by heavy-handed regulation or high-minded altruism—that businesses would rather avoid. Sustainability is often framed as a choice between creating business value or...
The Philippines is set to position itself as a regional manufacturing hub for electric mobility following the establishment of a program incentivizing domestic electric vehicle (EV) production, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said Executive...
Long before the late Henry Sy Sr. built the air-conditioned megamalls that reshaped the daily lives of Filipinos, his world was bounded by just 450 square meters of red brick, granite, and tile. Far from the retail, real estate, and banking empire in Metro Manila that made Sy the country’s...
SM Investments Corp. (SMIC)-backed PayRex is expanding in the local market with an approach that bypasses the growth-at-all-costs gospel of the financial technology (fintech) sphere. Instead, it favors the unglamorous over the flashy, and resilience over explosive expansion. Jaime Hing III,...
SM Investments Corp. (SMIC), the flagship of the SM Group, is on track to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2040 through continued investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other sustainability initiatives across its businesses. Speaking at the recent MUFG NOW...
The Board of Investments (BOI) has certified ₱351.02 billion worth of investments under its green lane program in the first half of the year, as investors seek expedited permit processing to speed up project execution. In a statement, the BOI said the approved investments cover 17 projects that...
The Sy family’s flagship SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) has completed the sale of its prime lot near Malacañan in Manila to its property development arm, SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SM Prime), as part of efforts to consolidate property assets under the subsidiary. In disclosures to the Philippine Stock...
The country’s investment promotion agencies (IPAs) are aiming to approve at least ₱4.5-trillion worth of investments under the government’s new investment promotion framework, which seeks to incentivize innovation-driven projects. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary and...
2GO Travel, the shipping and passenger transport unit of conglomerate SM Investments Corp.’s logistics arm, has introduced a direct sea route between Batangas and Cebu City to capture growing travel demand from Southern Luzon by bypassing the heavily congested hub of Manila. The weekly service,...
The government is planning to simultaneously implement its two flagship incentive programs aimed at encouraging the local production of electric vehicles (EVs) and gas-powered cars, potentially within the year. Finance Secretary Frederick Go told reporters last week that the government intends to...
Investments registered with the Board of Investments (BOI) increased by 21 percent to more than ₱460 billion in the first half of 2026, as projects in the renewable energy (RE) sector continue to dominate the country’s investment landscape. In a statement last week, the BOI said it approved...
SM Investments Corp. and its major subsidiaries clinched a combined 24 awards at the 16th Asian Excellence Awards. The parent company bagged eight distinctions from Hong Kong-based publication Corporate Governance, including the Sustainable Asia Award, Asia’s Best CSR, Best Corporate...
