Banking & Insurance

South Asialink Finance Corp. (SAFC) has teamed up with BDO Unibank Inc. to digitize its payment and collection systems, a move that could speed up loan transactions, improve operational efficiency, and expand access to financing services across the country.

BDO Unibank Inc., the country’s largest lender by assets, is returning to the domestic debt market with a new peso-denominated fixed-rate sustainability bond offering worth at least PHP5 billion, marking its second sustainability bond issuance this year as the bank continues to expand funding for green and socially responsible projects.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has welcomed the decision by several banks to reduce or remove fees for interbank digital transfers, making electronic fund transfers more affordable and easier to use for Filipinos.

Canadian enterprise software firm OpenText is expanding its Philippine footprint with a proposed USD8 million to USD10 million cloud transformation project for BDO Unibank over the next five years, signaling growing investor confidence in the country's digital economy and accelerating shift toward higher-value technology investments.

While slowing oil and food prices recently cooled headline inflation in the Philippines, persistent domestic threats and rising core inflation are keeping policymakers on high alert, signaling that further interest rate hikes may be necessary to protect long-term economic growth, according to data analysis by the Bank of the Philippine Islands.