Banking & Insurance

The Philippines has secured nearly P15 billion in World Bank financing to expand clean water and sanitation services in underserved communities, as growing climate risks heighten concerns over water security.

A specialized protection plan now offers financial coverage for the country’s three leading serious health risks — heart disease, cancer, and stroke — at an annual cost starting from just ₱215.

The financial regulators and market institutions on Friday announced that peso-denominated government bonds will transition to the international bond pricing convention for settlement purposes starting January 4, 2027. All relevant regulations and backend systems are scheduled to be fully operational before the end of 2026.

The Philippine National Bank and Luna Securities Inc. have partnered to expand digital access to the Personal Equity and Retirement Account or PERA program, making retirement investing simpler and more reachable nationwide. Through PNB’s Trust Banking Group and Luna—an accredited PERA Administrator—investors can now open, manage, and redeem PNB PERA products entirely via Luna’s digital platform, no branch visit needed.

Filipino investors are increasingly looking beyond domestic markets as inflation, peso weakness and market volatility fuel demand for broader diversification, with offshore assets now accounting for about 15 percent to 20 percent of BPI Wealth’s assets under management (AUM).