The passage into law of the Konektadong Pinoy Act is seen by the World Bank as a positive development toward digital transformation in the Philippines. In an Aug. 28 implementation status and results report, the Washington-based multilateral lender said the rollout of the Philippines Second Digital...
State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has extended a ₱815-million term loan to a mass housing developer to construct three residential buildings in Bulacan, heeding the call from President Marcos to broaden support for the housing sector. The DBP’s funding, which was extended to...
Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to extend its easing cycle until the first quarter of 2026, after the widely expected two-quarter-point rate cuts by year-end, to stimulate growth as price pressures remain subdued. “We think there’s...
Germany-based Deutsche Bank said a quarter-point rate cut on Thursday would help support Philippine economic activity, following the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) revised forecast that the negative output gap will persist until 2027. “We see the BSP lowering its policy rate by 25 bps...
When President Marcos took office in 2022, his administration vowed to ramp up oil and gas investments, starting within the safer terrains of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It also eyed the flashpoint: restarting exploration and drilling in the contested waters of the West...
The World Bank has noted improved implementation of an extended loan that supports breaking down collective certificates of land ownership awards (CLOAs), or titles given to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the Philippines. In an Aug. 21 implementation status and results report seen by...
The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has officially designated Andrew Jeffries as its new country director for the Philippines effective Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. Jeffries will lead the ADB’s operations in its host country, which currently holds an active portfolio valued at approximately...
Coal power projects are strutting back, and the developers are swinging “the need for baseload demand” as their backstage pass to justify new projects. Even Energy Secretary Sharon Garin is waving the green flag for coal, signaling to the media that if moratorium-exempt projects clear the...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking ₱3.5 trillion in total investments—including support from the private sector—to transform the country’s agriculture sector into a more robust, economically viable contributor to national food and economic security. During the launch of the...
Real estate giant Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) will be raising ₱10 billion this month from a multilateral sustainability-linked loan as part of the ₱50 billion in funds it will be securing in the second half of the year. In an interview, ALI Chief Finance Officer (CFO) Augusto Bengzon said that ₱30...
San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) affiliate Bank of Commerce (BankCom) posted a 31-percent growth in unaudited net income to ₱1.86 billion in the first half of 2025 primarily due to strong revenue growth. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), the bank said its earnings translated to a...
Another loan from the World Bank is forthcoming for the Philippines, this time to finance the country’s fight against epidemics by strengthening both human and animal health systems to improve pandemic preparedness. According to a Aug. 12 concept environmental and social review summary...
