Net inflows of brick-and-mortar foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Philippines declined by 17 percent to $1.72 billion in the first quarter of 2026 from $2.07 billion in the same period in 2025, as global uncertainty weighed on investor sentiment and prompted caution. The first-quarter FDI...
Digital lender Billease has committed ₱1 billion in fresh capital to its banking arm, Rural Bank of Sta. Maria-Ilocos Sur (RBSM), as it expands beyond consumer lending and prepares to roll out digital banking products. In a statement on Wednesday, June 10, the company said ₱500 million has...
Philippine banks expanded credit lines to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the first quarter of 2026, yet the financial sector continues to fall short of regulatory minimums intended to support the country’s smaller firms. Latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)...
Despite easing inflation in May, pressure is mounting on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to raise interest rates by 50 basis points (bps) at its June 18 policy meeting, as analysts see the moderation in price growth as short-lived and argue that a smaller hike could come at the expense of the...
Despite widespread public concern about climate change, financing and institutional constraints continue to hamper the Philippines’ efforts to strengthen climate resilience and adaptation measures, according to state-run policy think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). In...
Bank lending accelerated to its fastest pace in nine months in April, fueled by the sharp rebound in credit demand from corporate borrowers and steady household spending. Preliminary data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that outstanding loans granted by universal and...
The Philippines’ gross international reserves (GIR) dropped to their lowest level in 16 months in May, driven by the global downturn in gold prices and persistent outflows from foreign investments. The nation’s stockpile of foreign currencies and liquid assets retreated to $104 billion at...
The domestic inflation environment remains persistently “challenging,” according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), a factor that MUFG Bank Ltd. believes could prompt the central bank to further tighten monetary policy to help anchor the pressured peso. Last Friday night, June 5, the BSP...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) would likely continue hiking interest rates this year despite the lower-than-expected inflation rate in May, even as the pace of monetary policy tightening may be more gradual as economic growth remains subdued, according to Singapore-based United Overseas Bank...
Even as inflation came in softer than expected in May, private-sector economists still expect the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to raise its key interest rate by at least a quarter point to 4.75 percent at the upcoming June 18 policy meeting. Inflation moderated to 6.8 percent in May from the...
British banking giant Barclays now expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to deliver just one more interest rate hike this month before eventually returning to monetary policy easing, after inflation in May slowed more than anticipated. In a report obtained by Manila Bulletin,...
Foreign banks expect Philippine inflation to have picked up further in May, above the already more-than-four-year high of 7.2 percent last April, making room for more interest rate hikes by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). In a May 29 report obtained by Manila Bulletin, Goldman Sachs...
