Despite a rebound in gold prices, the Philippines’ gross international reserves (GIR) dropped to a 17-month low of $103.4 billion in July, weighed down by central bank operations and government debt payments. Preliminary data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Friday, Aug. 7,...
Filipino consumers face a renewed risk of higher retail prices as manufacturers move to pass escalating production costs onto buyers, according to a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. report obtained by the Manila Bulletin. In the commentary, Goldman Sachs economists Chris Poh and Danny Suwanapruti noted...
Singapore-based Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. Ltd. (OCBC) holds one of the most hawkish outlooks on local monetary policy, pricing in a 25-basis-point (bp) rate hike at each of the remaining policy meetings in 2026 on expectations that inflation will stay elevated. OCBC Group Research expects...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is preparing to order lenders and digital financial firms to link directly with the government’s National ID system, making digital identity verification mandatory for opening accounts and onboarding customers in the country. Under the latest draft circular...
Despite lingering upside risks to inflation, China Banking Corp. (Chinabank) expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to conclude its rate-hiking cycle this August, arguing that second-round inflation effects have largely dissipated. The projection follows a third consecutive month of...
Economic growth in the second quarter of 2026 may have slowed further to a post-pandemic low as Filipinos pumped the brakes on borrowing and spending, while public expenditure remained lackluster. In a report obtained by the Manila Bulletin, US financial giant Goldman Sachs Group Inc. noted that...
Elevated inflation, sluggish state spending, and rising import costs may have dragged Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) growth down to 2.5 percent in the second quarter, slowing further from an already five-year low of 2.8 percent in the previous quarter. Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank AG...
Labor groups, environmentalists, and indigenous communities facing displacement risks are aggressively pushing back against the plan to build the high-value Pax Silica AI industrial hub. Red flags have been raised over the looming strain on New Clark City’s water, land, and power supplies....
Private-sector economists are divided over the trajectory of Philippine inflation in July, though they broadly agree that lingering climate risks, geopolitical tensions, and a weaker peso will compel the central bank to keep interest rates elevated. Forecasts for July headline consumer prices span...
Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon said the city-funded Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa (PLMun) is on track in its aim to offer a nursing course. “One step closer tayo sa pangarap na magkaroon ng Bachelor of Science in Nursing sa Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa! (We are one step closer to...
Local businesses grew less pessimistic about economic activity in June, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), with the year-ahead outlook becoming more upbeat from the previous month. Businesses have generally grown “more optimistic” about the economic environment by mid-2027,...
Lending growth at the country’s big banks slowed to a four-month low in June as corporate borrowers and households took a more cautious approach, dampening overall demand for credit. Outstanding loans issued by universal and commercial banks (U/KBs) expanded 9.8 percent from a year earlier to...
