Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) and Security Bank Corp. posted steeper unrealized losses and faced greater pressure on their core capital buffers in the first quarter of the year, driven by their outsized exposure to volatile fixed-income holdings, according to Moody’s Ratings. The...
Global debt watcher Moody’s Ratings has downgraded its outlook on the Philippine banking system to negative from stable, warning that lackluster economic growth could raise credit costs while elevated inflation and emerging risks weaken asset quality. “We have revised our outlook for the...
Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank AG is expecting the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to further raise key borrowing costs twice more to reach 5.25 percent, standing firmly by its assumption that the hiking cycle is not yet over and that the looming El Niño further threatens price spikes. Deutsche...
The Marcos administration’s decision to limit consumer subsidies shields the government budget from global price shocks but threatens to choke off private consumption and derail domestic demand, according to global debt watcher Moody’s Ratings. In its latest Asia-Pacific (APAC) report published...
Citing the need to finance the country’s ₱6.793 trillion national budget for fiscal year (FY) 2026, the Philippines has returned to the global debt markets with a triple-tranche offering of United States (US) dollar-denominated global bonds. In a statement issued on Tuesday, June 16, the Bureau...
Chinese imports are unlikely to displace the Philippine manufacturing base because many sectors have limited direct trade overlap with the country’s exports, according to global debt watcher Moody’s Ratings. Measured through the manufacturing vulnerability index (MVI), Moody’s found that the...
Philippine conglomerates operating in critical sectors like real estate, power, energy, and telecommunications are facing heightened financial strain from the strengthening United States (US) dollar, which threatens to inflate the cost of their foreign-denominated debt. The brewing corporate...
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...
Global debt watcher Moody’s Ratings affirmed the investment-grade ratings of Ty-led Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank), citing the bank’s strong capitalization, solid asset quality, and ample liquidity despite risks from elevated inflation, slowing economic growth, and heavier reliance...
Global debt watcher Moody’s Ratings affirmed the deposit ratings of the Philippines’ largest lenders—Sy-led BDO Unibank Inc. and Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI)—citing their strong profitability, solid asset quality, and ample liquidity buffers. Both lenders maintained their...
Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) urged the Philippines to resume public infrastructure spending under stricter governance standards to revive investor confidence, warning that the absence of accountable fiscal activity is stifling private investment and domestic growth. In a...
New York-based Moody’s Analytics expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to stand pat at this week’s policy meeting, despite a slightly worsening inflation outlook following the March price uptick. Analysts at Moody’s Analytics wrote in a commentary last Friday, April 17, that...
