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...
The central bank has ordered lenders to halt the use of non-deliverable foreign-exchange derivatives for speculative bets on the local currency, stepping up efforts to curb artificial volatility after loosening rules last year. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr. clarified...
Citing the rising risk of inflation expectations becoming de-anchored, the Paris-headquartered intergovernmental Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) holds one of the most hawkish positions on policy tightening, penciling in a maximum of 125 basis points (bps) in interest...
The Philippine banking system’s total assets climbed to ₱30.12 trillion as of end-April, driven by sustained growth in lending and strong liquidity, with investment holdings continuing to support the economy. The latest preliminary Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed banks’ combined...
Philippine banks’ bad loan ratio deteriorated to 3.37 percent as of end-April 2026, marking an eight-month high, likely due to the delayed impact of elevated borrowing rates on borrowers. The latest Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed that the banking industry’s gross non-performing...
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the central bank have approved the merger of the nation’s two largest payment and clearing operators, creating a unified entity tasked with driving growth in digital transactions in the country. BancNet Inc. and the Philippine Clearing House Corp....
Foreign banks are turning more hawkish on domestic consumer prices than the central bank, warning that expiring price freezes and unabsorbed food costs will drive inflation beyond official projections. Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank AG has an inflation forecast of 8.1 percent for May, breaching the...
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) is expanding its anti-money laundering network to include banks and e-wallets, stepping up oversight of the country’s fast-growing electronic gaming sector. The state-run regulator published a memorandum detailing amendments to its existing...
Inflation may have surged to as high as 7.9 percent in May, driven by soaring basic commodity prices and the weakening local currency, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Amid intensifying macroeconomic headwinds, global supply shocks filter into the domestic economy, the central...
Relying solely on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) interest rate hikes will likely provide limited support for the Philippine peso, which remains on the verge of another historic low amid elevated oil prices, a stronger United States (US) dollar, and cautious market risk appetite, according...
Philippine economic growth is seen falling to a new post-pandemic low of three percent this year as the lingering impacts of last year’s multi-billion-peso flood-control corruption scandal and the prolonged war in the Middle East weigh on investor and business confidence, according to think tank...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is facing a delicate balancing act as foreign and local lenders price in a minimum five percent benchmark interest rate by the end of 2026. Economists said that mounting stagflationary pressures and the potential de-escalation of geopolitical conflicts in the...
