The Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. has entered an agreement with state‑run Development Bank of the Philippines to acquire the latter’s shareholding in Philippine Dealing System Holdings Corp.
Under the deal, the PSE will purchase DBP’s 192,776 PDS shares, equivalent to roughly 3.08 percent of the company, at a price of P600 per share for a total value of P115.66 million. With this acquisition, the bourse’s ownership in PDS rises to 76.74 percent.
PDS is a holding firm that invests in and holds shares of exchange‑related businesses, including entities that provide depository, registry, clearing, settlement, custody, securities lending, information technology and other support services for capital markets. It also owns and runs the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp., the country’s main bond trading platform.
The transaction forms part of the PSE’s broader plan to fully acquire PDS and merge it into the bourse. The move is designed to bring Philippine capital markets in line with global standards, where most markets operate under a single exchange structure covering both equities and fixed‑income instruments.
In a statement, the PSE said the purchase supports vertical integration by bringing depository functions under the same group that handles trading, clearing and settlement of listed securities. The planned merger is also expected to enable more efficient, unified market surveillance and monitoring for both stock and bond markets, strengthening safeguards for investors.
Industry observers note the step signals progress toward a streamlined local capital market, which could make trading and post‑trade processes simpler and more cohesive for market participants over time.
