As this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines will steer a round of financial talks, setting the tone for deeper regional cooperation to boost economic activity and expand financial inclusion across Southeast Asia.
The Philippine peso is back under pressure as surging oil prices and geopolitical strains jolt global markets, sharpening the policy dilemma for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported that the Philippines’ outstanding external debt edged lower in the fourth quarter of 2025, offering a modest improvement in debt manageability as global investors trimmed their exposure to Philippine securities.
Average yields on Philippine treasury bills fell at Monday’s auction, reflecting the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ recent quarter-point cut to its benchmark interest rate. The move signals easing borrowing costs for both the government and private sector amid a supportive macroeconomic backdrop.
Anticipation of further monetary easing later this week kept Treasury bill yields on a downward path at Monday’s auction, as investors piled into short-dated government debt.
Financial inclusion in the Philippines has made significant strides, with formal account ownership nearly doubling since 2011 based on the World Bank’s Global Findex Database. But the deeper challenge is now emerging as access has expanded faster than sustained usage of financial services.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is ramping up the rollout of the Electronic Airway Bill (e-AWB) under Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno, signaling a more aggressive push to digitize export processing and modernize the country’s trade infrastructure.
STI Education Systems Holdings Inc. reported flat net income of P1.6 billion for the first nine months of its fiscal year ending March, unchanged from the same period a year earlier.
Local power company Jin Navitas Electric Corp. (JNEC) will serve as the official retail electricity supplier of Manila Ocean Park under a two-year agreement, with an option to extend.