Philippine banks must strengthen safeguards against money laundering and terrorism financing across all payment activities, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) ordered, warning that banks remain accountable for violations even when using third-party payment aggregators. Under Memorandum No....
The Philippine banking system remains largely insulated from the escalating geopolitical volatility in the Middle East, bolstered by record asset levels and capital buffers that have outpaced the nation’s broader economic growth, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). In its latest...
Philippine banks not enrolled in the Peso Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system have been allowed to directly withdraw high-value cash from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) during calamities and emergency situations. “Banks not registered in the Philippine Payment and Settlement System...
Philippine banks expect loan demand from Filipino entrepreneurs and households to remain steady in the second quarter of the year, according to the central bank, which said banks face a balancing act on lending rules amid the domestic spillover of the Middle East war. Results of the latest...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is overhauling its oversight of digital threats, ditching a legacy rating system in favor of a framework that forces banks to conduct more frequent and rigorous self-assessments of their cybersecurity defenses. This comes as BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr....
The Philippines faces mounting economic and financial risks from climate change, with projected losses reaching as much as 13 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2040 unless the country urgently scales up climate financing and aligns adaptation and mitigation efforts, according to state-run...
Philippine banks expanded their collective balance sheets to a record high in the first two months of the year, driven by the surge in lending and shifts into government securities as lenders maintained a cautious but growth-oriented posture. Preliminary data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas...
Senator Joel Villanueva has called on banks to strictly implement the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) decision on waiving digital fund transfer fees alongside its loan relief measures for borrowers hit by the ongoing energy crisis. Villanueva, chairman of the Senate Committee on Banks,...
Eight Philippine lenders have secured spots on the World’s Best Banks 2026 list compiled by Forbes and Statista, a ranking where agile digital-native banks claimed the top positions even as traditional giants maintained their edge in trustworthiness among Filipino depositors. MariBank Philippines...
To manage risks tied to the growing Peso Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) payment system, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is drafting a policy to establish formal governance for stricter handling of member banks and nonbanks. According to the 2025 Peso RTGS Payment System Report published...
Philippine banks face a potential surge in sour loans as escalating tensions in the Middle East threaten to disrupt the domestic economy and weaken the repayment capacity of households, according to S&P Global Ratings. Nikita Anand, S&P Global Ratings director and lead analyst for South and...
The local banking system faces a more severe threat from escalating Middle East tensions than in previous economic shocks, as a pivot toward lending to small businesses and consumers creates new pockets of vulnerability, according to Fitch Ratings. Jonathan Cornish, Fitch Ratings managing director...
