Asia-Pacific economies should keep free trade flowing despite looming challenges to be presented by the return of a protectionist Trump 2.0 administration in the US, according to the top economist of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). “We’re concerned—obviously, it’s probably going to be a...
Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) continue to expand in fast-growing Philippines, getting a boost from booming electronic commerce, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). However, MSMEs in the country remain hampered by limited access to financing, partly as banks avoid bad loans...
Homegrown non-bank Asialink Finance Corp. (AFC) has secured a total of at least $200 million (over P11.7 billion) in loans from two multilateral lenders to support its small business lending in the Philippines. Minutes of an Oct. 9 meeting of the Washington-based International Finance Corp. (IFC)...
Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved nearly P100 billion ($1.7 billion) to fund a 37.5-kilometer climate-resilient expressway in the Philippines that aims to boost regional connectivity and economic competitiveness. The ADB will support the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network Project...
By DERCO ROSAL With nine out of every 10 Filipinos feeling the harsh impacts of climate change, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will support drought and flood preparedness in the Philippines and other member countries to mitigate the impact on lives and livelihood. Over the next six years, the...
By DERCO ROSAL Climate change could reduce gross domestic product (GDP) in Asian developing countries, including the Philippines, by 17 percent for the next nearly 50 years, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reported. Based on ADB’s Asia-Pacific Climate Report, this economic...
As natural disasters displace Filipinos the most compared to their neighbors in the region, multilateral lenders enjoin quick aid and response to calamity victims to prevent them from sliding into poverty. "The Philippines is, by far, the country most affected in Southeast Asia, with nearly 43...
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and Export Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) vowed to support the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network (LLRN) project. The ADB has committed $1.2 billion as the initial tranche of funding, while the AIIB is contributing $188...
The Philippines is among the lower middle-income countries in the Asia-Pacific region that can borrow from the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) new funding aimed at addressing the education crisis. In a Sept. 26 statement, the ADB said it forged an agreement with the sovereign-backed Geneva-based...
Inflation in the Philippines is expected by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to further ease as reduced import tariffs on staple rice and other food products spill over to domestic retail prices, boosting consumption and overall economic growth. The Manila-based ADB's Asian Development Outlook...
Easy monetary policy supportive of economic growth across the Asia-Pacific region would follow the US Federal Reserve's cut in interest rates by an aggressive 50 basis points (bps), according to the top economist of the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB). "I think it's good for the region...
Growth in the country's bond market slowed in the second quarter of the year owing to reduced issuance from both corporate and government sectors, amid potential interest rate cut by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Based on the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Asia Bond Monitor (ABM) report,...