Economy

The Philippines is set to gain stronger cross-border payment capabilities as Southeast Asian fintech firm Fiuu secures a JCB Direct Acquiring license covering Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, opening new opportunities for local merchants to tap regional and Japanese consumer spending.

The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) is urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to use his State of the Nation Address (SONA) to move the national agenda away from political debates and toward faster economic execution, emphasizing jobs, investments, and lower living costs as the country’s most urgent priorities.

The US and the Philippines are widening their alliance beyond military cooperation, with infrastructure, technology, supply chains, and health security emerging as new pillars of a partnership increasingly shaped by economic resilience.

The Philippines is betting on a wider export playbook to keep its trade momentum alive, with the government turning to free trade agreements (FTAs), new product discoveries and stronger support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to fuel the next growth wave.

The US is tying regional security to economic resilience in Southeast Asia, using the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference in Manila to reaffirm its Indo-Pacific commitment while linking Middle East stability to the protection of global trade routes.