Business NEWS

With CREATE, FIST laws 

With the promulgation last week of the implementing rules and regulations of the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act (Republic Act No. 11523), the government has delivered a solid jab into the financial muscle of banks as prime movers of business and industrial growth that has taken a nosedive in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government has issued the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11523, or the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act which will regulate the sale of non-performing assets of banks.

The enactment of the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) law, which is expected to free up over P1 trillion worth of banks’ soured loans and non-performing assets and assist 600,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), will ensure the stability of the local financial system amid the global economic downturn, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seeking public comments for the draft Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11523 or the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act, a critical economic measure in the Philippines’ economic recovery.

Business organizations lauded the enactment of Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act into law as timely stating the new law would further aid in the recovery of the Philippine economy, which has been battered by long lockdowns and quarantines due to the pandemic.