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...
The Office of the Ombudsman’s Special Panel of Investigators has filed a supplemental complaint-affidavit seeking to include additional respondents in its complaint involving former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and several others over alleged offenses that include plunder,...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) ordered domestic lenders to bolster oversight of accounts connected to casino junket operators, warning that financial flows tied to the high-stakes gaming sector pose elevated money laundering risks. In a July 21 memorandum, BSP Deputy Governor Lyn Javier...
Twenty-one people received around P9.2 million as payment for the information they shared that resulted in the arrest of wanted fugitives. But any of them could receive an even higher reward, a whopping P20 million actually, for the right person—and that right person for the Philippine National...
The camp of former House Speaker, Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez has vowed to give "full answer" once the Office of the Ombudsman files its advertised charges against him. This, as Romualdez 's spokesperson, lawyer Elaine Atienza, highlighted on Monday night, July 20, no criminal...
The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) will file two separate complaints for preliminary investigation against former House speaker Martin Romualdez, former lawmaker Elizaldy Co for alleged plunder and violations of the Anti-Money Laundering Act in connection with its investigation into alleged...
State-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) has ordered all regulated casinos and gaming entities to tighten safeguards against illicit capital flows. The directive follows a state assessment which revealed that the sector remains highly vulnerable to financial crime. In a July 13...
Organized criminal syndicates have proved resilient in the face of regulatory shifts in the Philippines, reinventing their operations to avoid shutdowns after a government purge dismantled many of their once-flourishing cyber scam hubs. When the Philippines was grappling to survive through the end...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported a sharp decline in counterfeit currency overall last year, though the regulator is contending with a sudden spike in fake polymer banknotes. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) annual report, documented counterfeit banknotes fell 17.1...
Lending by universal and commercial banks (U/KBs) posted its fastest growth in 15 months in May, as lenders continued to see steady credit demand from businesses and households in the second quarter of 2026. The latest preliminary Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed bank lending growth...
Tightened rules and stricter oversight of the gaming sector may have hampered efforts to recover revenues lost in previous quarters, but global credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings said a more supportive visa policy and the rebound in online gambling could help gaming operators bounce back in...
Investigators found the statements of eight former Marines to be “categorical and consistent” regarding alleged money deliveries to former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former party-list Representative Zaldy Co, the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) said on Thursday, July 2. Assistant...
