For generations, the work of a mananguete has depended on strong legs, steady hands and a willingness to climb towering coconut trees in the dead of night. For mechanical engineer Arniel “Maxi” Cunahap, it also became the inspiration for a patented invention that could transform one of Philippine agriculture’s most dangerous jobs.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is redrawing the rulebook for companies eyeing a stock market debut, proposing a tiered minimum public ownership (MPO) framework that could make it easier—especially for large firms—to list on the Philippine Stock Exchange.
The Philippines staged a strong comeback in equity capital markets in 2025, powered by the blockbuster initial public offering of Maynilad Water Services, Inc., which ranked as the third-largest IPO in Southeast Asia, according to Deloitte’s Southeast Asia IPO Capital Market Report 2025.
Maynilad Water Services Inc.’s market debut came with a splash and a safety net. UBS AG Singapore Branch, acting as the stabilization agent for the utility’s initial public offering, snapped up a hefty 144.3 million Maynilad shares during the stabilization window after the stock slipped below its P15 IPO price.
Ayala Corp., the diversified investment holding company of the Ayala Group, said that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved the amendment of...
ASEAN trade ministers have signed a landmark Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), establishing common rules for online commerce, digital payments and cross-border data flows in a bid to double Southeast Asia’s digital economy to USD2 trillion by 2030.
The Philippines and Canada have concluded negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), setting the stage for expanded market access, greater investment flows and new opportunities for exporters, service providers and small businesses.
Southeast Asia needs an estimated USD7.1 trillion in infrastructure investment through 2040, but a shortage of commercially viable projects is preventing governments from mobilizing enough private capital to meet the region’s growing needs, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda said Saturday.
If the past week's tea leaves had a message, it was this: ay, naku. The economy served up a one-two punch of sluggish growth and runaway prices, then appeared to ask whether we wanted seconds. Monday brought third-quarter GDP growth of 2.1 percent, down from 2.4 percent in the previous quarter and below the 2.8 percent consensus forecast. That marked five consecutive quarters of slowing growth and the weakest performance since the pandemic. October inflation, meanwhile, averaged 7.8 percent. Some wanted the monetary authorities to wield a bigger stick through a jumbo rate hike. Tame prices without choking an already parched economy? Sige, good luck. With stocks around 5,600 and the peso near P64 to the dollar, even sharply cheaper gasoline felt less like salvation than a promo expiring next week.