Moody’s Ratings affirmed the Philippines’ Baa2 sovereign credit rating on Monday, citing expectations that the government’s fiscal position will stabilize over the next two years despite a sharp slowdown in economic growth.
Treasury bill yields were mostly higher at Monday’s auction as investors appeared to price in the possibility of tighter monetary policy ahead of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ interest rate-setting meeting later this week.
The Philippines’ gross international reserves (GIR) fell to USD103.3 billion at the end of July from USD104.7 billion a month earlier, while the country posted a USD1.5-billion balance of payments (BOP) deficit, reflecting continued pressure from external transactions.
Digital payments accounted for nearly two-thirds of retail transactions in the Philippines last year, putting the country within its national target range and underscoring how quickly electronic payments are replacing cash in everyday commerce.
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) is among the first banks to join Direct Debit PH, a new automated recurring payment facility championed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to modernize the country’s payments system and accelerate the shift toward a cash-lite economy.
Thailand’s Gunkul Engineering has partnered with local developer SunAsia Energy for a $1-billion floating solar project at Laguna Lake, set to deliver 1,000 MW capacity as Southeast Asia’s biggest of its kind.
The Department of Energy (DOE) is moving forward with plans to bring electricity to more than 100,000 currently unenergized households across the Philippines, through an upcoming competitive bidding process for microgrid services.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is leading a major drive to expand the palm oil industry, aiming to cut the country’s heavy reliance on imports and build a local supply base that can also serve as feedstock for cleaner fuels.
The National Dairy Authority (NDA) and Central Philippines State University (CPSU) have partnered to develop a 50-hectare dairy stock farm in Barangay Camingawan here, aiming to strengthen production, breeding, research and training across the Negros Island Region.