The Philippines landed at 53rd out of 101 economies in the World Bank Group’s 2025 Business-Ready (B-READY) Report, placing the country squarely at the midpoint of an expanded global ranking and signaling steady reform momentum.
The World Bank and the Philippine government are moving forward with a landmark agreement that could reshape the country’s agriculture sector. At a recent meeting, agriculture secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. and World Bank country director Zafer Mustafaoglu reviewed the progress of the Philippine Sustainable Agricultural Transformation (PSAT) loan program, with the goal of finalizing the USD1 billion loan agreement in July.
The International Finance Corp. (IFC), the private investment arm of the World Bank, has appointed Riccardo Puliti as its new Regional Vice President for Asia and the Pacific.
Baguio City is stepping up its digital transformation efforts after partnering with PLDT and Smart to launch “AI-in-a-Box,” a program designed to help local governments use artificial intelligence to improve public services.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has introduced a nationwide standard for handling environmental law enforcement cases, aiming to strengthen investigations, arrests, evidence handling, and prosecution of environmental crimes.
The Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Healthcare Sector welcomed the continued expansion of PhilHealth’s YAKAP and GAMOT programs, saying the reforms are helping reduce healthcare costs for Filipino families.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is proposing the creation of a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) to manage the eGovPH app, aiming to make the platform financially sustainable and improve its operations.