The government is nearing the end of its year-long search for a private partner to manage its nationwide value-added tax (VAT) refund system (VRS) for foreign tourists, as the Department of Finance (DOF) moves to formalize the accreditation process for global operators. Bureau of Internal Revenue...
The Philippines will repay until 2044 its biggest-ever loan from the World Bank, which will bankroll a sweeping agricultural transformation program aimed at boosting food production, modernizing farming systems, and strengthening climate resilience. Documents showed that Finance Secretary Frederick...
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is prepared to provide up to $1.75 billion in additional financing to help the Philippines, its host country, manage the economic fallout from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In a statement on Friday, May 15, the Manila-based multilateral lender said ADB...
International Finance Corp. (IFC) is preparing what could become its first securitization deal in the Philippines backed by small and medium enterprise (SME) loans, as the World Bank Group’s (WBG) private-sector lending arm ramps up efforts to expand access to financing for underserved businesses...
International Finance Corp. (IFC) has approved its planned investments in two private equity (PE) funds that are eyeing investments in the Philippines and the broader Southeast Asian region. In disclosures last May 7 and April 24, respectively, the World Bank Group’s (WBG) private-sector lending...
International Finance Corp. (IFC) is preparing a fresh investment in the Philippines’ growing digital infrastructure sector, backing a local company planning to expand data center capacity outside Metro Manila. Manila Bulletin reported earlier that the World Bank Group’s (WBG) private-sector...
During intense deliberations that preceded the 2005 enactment of the Expanded Value Added Tax (E-VAT) Law, which also covered oil and electricity, lawmakers defended the measure as a treasury-tightening mechanism; an unpopular but calculated imposition designed to raise massive revenues so it could...
International Finance Corp. (IFC) is preparing a fresh investment in the Philippines’ growing digital infrastructure sector, backing a local company planning to expand data center capacity outside Metro Manila. The World Bank Group’s (WBG) private-sector lending arm disclosed last May 8 that it...
The World Bank has canceled part of the loans for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) while as project scope was pared down with only five months left before its financing closes. A May 8 restructuring paper seen by Manila Bulletin showed that the Washington-based multilateral lender, effective Jan....
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Philippine government have launched a technical cooperation project aimed at strengthening sustainable finance and climate-related transparency frameworks in the country. In a statement on Saturday, May 9, JICA Philippines said that it signed...
President Marcos’ chief economic manager brushed off concerns over the country’s fiscal position, assuring markets that the government remains financially stable and still has room to borrow further if needed to cushion the economy from energy shocks. This comes against the backdrop of...
Public debt in the Philippines moved closer to the 60-percent level at the end of the first quarter of 2026, as the government continued to ramp up borrowings while the private sector remained cautious amid risks stemming from the war in the Middle East. The latest Global Debt Monitor of the...
