The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is mobilizing $4 billion in financing to help its developing member countries (DMCs) cope with the economic fallout from the ongoing war in the Middle East, with the Philippines among those seeking assistance as higher fuel, food, fertilizer, and freight costs...
The World Bank Group (WBG) has lowered its 2026 growth forecast for the Philippines to 3.7 percent, warning that the ongoing war in the Middle East is weighing heavily on energy-importing economies and threatening to push global growth to its weakest pace since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic....
Amid a prolonged global oil crisis, the Philippines is poised to secure fresh grant and loan financing from bilateral as well as multilateral partners to support power-sector reforms and the transition to more renewable energy (RE) sources. United States (US) aid agency Millennium Challenge Corp....
Twenty-twenty-six marks the diamond anniversary of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Manila-based institution that stands at the forefront of the Asia-Pacific’s transition toward a more sustainable and resilient future. Since its establishment in 1966, the ADB has evolved from a traditional...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to reshape trade processes across the Asia-Pacific region, but adoption remains limited as economies grapple with skills shortages, infrastructure costs, as well as regulatory challenges, according to a joint study by the Bangkok-based United Nations...
The World Bank has approved a six-month extension of its $300-million loan for a delayed project aimed at strengthening Metro Manila’s preparedness for “The Big One” earthquake, after the Philippine government sought more time to implement key activities that have yet to begin. In a...
Philippine stocks remain among Asia’s weakest performers as investors continue to favor markets benefiting from the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, while concerns over domestic economic, investment, and policy conditions weigh on sentiment, according to Singapore-based DBS Bank Ltd. In a...
The Manila-based multilateral lender Asian Development Bank (ADB) has urged countries in Asia-Pacific to accelerate regional power connectivity as mounting geopolitical tensions, soaring electricity demand, as well as energy security risks threaten economic growth and household welfare across the...
The Philippines recorded the lowest demand for digital skills among six Asia-Pacific economies studied by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB), although employers’ requirements for digital competencies have been rising steadily as technology spreads across a broader range of occupations....
The World Bank has urged Philippine implementing agencies to focus on completing the long-delayed Metro Manila Flood Management Project amid signs of progress and with less than six months remaining before its financing expires. In a June 7 implementation status and results report, the...
Despite easing inflation in May, pressure is mounting on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to raise interest rates by 50 basis points (bps) at its June 18 policy meeting, as analysts see the moderation in price growth as short-lived and argue that a smaller hike could come at the expense of the...
In an era dominated by hyper-automation, Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), and algorithms that predict our next move, the banking industry has spent years chasing a cold, clinical standard of efficiency. But during my recent chance to sit down and have a conversation with Patrick Meneses,...
