The Philippines’ external debt service burden declined by 34.8 percent to $1.59 billion as of end-February 2025 from $2.44 billion in the same period in 2024, data from the central bank showed. The latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that the decline in the country’s...
While the transmission of key interest rate cuts to lending rates remains uneven in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japanese investment bank Nomura noted that this connection has massively improved in the Philippines. “Relative to the previous cutting cycle, the pass-through...
In the aftermath of the midterm election that showed surprising upsets—and despite the prevailing uncertainty surrounding the United States’ (US) tariffs—the domestic market is gearing up for a possible interest rate cut by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Talks going around the market...
Efforts by supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte to disrupt overseas remittance flows through a self-declared “no remittance week” in March failed to dent inflows, as cash sent home by Filipinos rose by 2.6 percent that month, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed....
Slowing increases in consumer prices could boost the Philippine economy this year through 2027, with gross domestic product (GDP) growth falling within the lower end of the government’s target of six to eight percent, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). “GDP growth could settle...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has proposed requiring Islamic banking units (IBUs) operated by conventional banks to either transition into full-fledged Islamic banks or comply with universal bank capital requirements within five years. Under a newly proposed circular, the central bank has...
Net inflows of brick-and-mortar foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Philippines amounted to $529 million in February, marking a steep 61.9-percent decline from the $1.4 billion recorded in the same month last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported. FDI net inflows last February...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) could mandate that all banks, e-wallets, and clearing houses adopt the internationally accepted ISO 20022 messaging standard, modernizing domestic payment systems and aligning with global financial protocols. In a draft circular dated April 2025, the BSB noted...
Government spending related to the May 12 midterm elections—frontloaded expenditures prior to the polls as well as the resumption of delayed projects due to the election ban—would likely spill over into the second quarter and support first-half economic growth, economists said. "While the...
Another 25-basis-point (bp) interest rate cut by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is widely expected at its monetary policy meeting next month, as inflation slides and economic growth weakens. In a May 9 report, Deutsche Bank Research said the lower-than-expected 5.4-percent gross domestic...
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr. has warned that trade shocks are more damaging than supply shocks—as they can shrink the country’s capital stock and slow growth—which monetary policy is not equipped to address. Remolona said at the International Monetary Fund (IMF)...
Union Bank of the Philippines and the ATRAM Group have finalized their partnership, aiming to revolutionize the Philippine asset management landscape by merging their trust operations and leveraging digital innovation. Under the agreement, UnionBank will acquire a 27.5 percent stake in ATR Asset...
