Philippine banks must strengthen safeguards against money laundering and terrorism financing across all payment activities, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) ordered, warning that banks remain accountable for violations even when using third-party payment aggregators. Under Memorandum No....
While the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is seen raising key borrowing costs by up to 100 basis points (bps) more should inflation worsen, MUFG Bank Ltd. warned that such hawkish adjustments may not be enough to prop up the underperforming peso. According to the Japanese financial giant, the...
Following weaker-than-expected Philippine economic expansion in the first quarter of 2026, Singapore-based United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOB) slashed its full-year growth forecast to 3.2 percent from a more optimistic five percent previously. Excluding the contraction during the peak of Covid-19...
The Philippine central bank faces an intensifying divide among private-sector economists over the trajectory of borrowing costs, with a lone dissenting voice branding recent monetary tightening as “misguided” following the sharp slowdown in economic output. While a majority of analysts maintain...
Senator Joel Villanueva has filed a bill seeking to guarantee financial relief for borrowers, depositors, and digital payment users during national emergencies by giving the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) authority to compel banks and other financial institutions to comply with emergency...
Already the fastest growing sport in the country, pickleball – the racquet sport that combines elements of tennis, table tennis and badminton – is set for a major breakthrough in the Philippines with the launch of the Maharlika Pilipinas Pickleball Tour (MPPT) later this year. Similar to what...
Sharp declines in foreign exchange (forex) holdings and foreign investments drove the Philippines’ gross international reserves (GIR)—the country’s stock of foreign currencies and other reserve assets—to their lowest level in 15 months in April. GIR stood at $104.1 billion at end-April, the...
The Philippine banking system remains largely insulated from the escalating geopolitical volatility in the Middle East, bolstered by record asset levels and capital buffers that have outpaced the nation’s broader economic growth, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). In its latest...
Fresh from a two-title romp in last week’s Bagong Pilipinas Juniors tennis tournament, Miguel Lagac III hopes to sustain his winning momentum as he headlines a stacked field in the San Pablo Juniors Age Group Championships at the 7 Lakes courts in San Pablo City, Laguna. The Group 2 tournament,...
Boxing champ Pedro Taduran and the history-making Gilas Pilipinas Women 3x3 delivered knockout performances in April. Taduran extended his reign as IBF minimumweight titleholder, recovering from a slow start to stop Mexican challenger Gustavo Perez in the seventh round at the Pechanga Resort Casino...
With Bennie Boatwright nearing his Filipino citizenship to become a Gilas Pilipinas player, excitement has begun to build up not only for the fans but for the San Miguel import as well. The 6-foot-10 center, who is expected to provide the size, shooting and versatility to the national team, is now...
British banking giant HSBC is now leaning toward back-to-back jumbo interest rate hikes that could lift policy rates to six percent, as signs of de-escalation in Middle East tensions remain muted—potentially forcing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to add another layer to its...
