The 1000-Piso polymer banknote of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) won the International Banknote Society’s (IBNS) “Banknote of the Year Award” for 2022. The 1000-Piso polymer is the first Philippine banknote to win the award. It won over banknote finalists from Algeria, Barbados, Egypt, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. In announcing the award, the IBNS said: “The Philippines’ successful design …

After a year-long leadership transition period, Lucio Tan III has officially taken over as president of the Lucio Tan Group (LTG). During the transition, he shared decision making responsibilities for business and operational matters with his uncle, Michael Tan, who had been president of LTG since 2010. The group ended 2022 with a PhP25.1 billion attributable net income, which is …

Contecon Guayaquil (CGSA), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) Ecuadorian business unit operating at the Port of Guayaquil, achieved a milestone in April by handling the largest vessel to call the terminal. On 4 April, CGSA received the maiden call of the Maersk Camden – a Liberian-flagged vessel with a capacity of 15,413 TEUs. The 365.9-meter-long ship operates Maersk’s AC2 …

I am deeply honored to accept the appointment as President and Chief Operating Officer. I thank the board of directors for entrusting me with this responsibility, and I am grateful to all of you for your support. In exercising the functions of my new role, rest assured that I will be guided by the values of integrity, diligence, excellence, and …

Leading insurtech advocate Etiqa Philippines has recently launched an always-on virtual assistant for its new and existing customers.  Etiqa’s latest venture into insurtech is named Eriqa, a chatbot which acts as a virtual assistant to help respond to questions and a multitude of requests including processing a Letter of Guarantee (LOG) for outpatient availments.     “The success of an insurance company …

More overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will have a chance to purchase their dream houses under the Pambansang Pabahay Program Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) program of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., according to a report by Philippine News Agency. On Sunday, OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino and Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose …

An executive of Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) recently underscored the company’s willingness to work with the government to further boost infrastructure development in the country, according to a report by Philippine News Agency. During the company’s virtual annual stockholders meeting, ALI chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said “at the Ayala Group, we’ve always aligned our business aspirations with the …

Sy-led property developer SM Prime Holdings Inc. is planning to list its own real estate investment trust (REIT) in the second half of 2023, according to a recent published report. Jeffrey C. Lim, SM Prime president, said the company expects to raise some $1 billion or about P55.5 billion from its REIT. Total valuation would be around $3.5 to $4 …

Filipinos welcome summer with open arms – despite of or due to the heat wave – being the first summer people free from the pandemic restrictions.  While they plan their summer vacations, they need to stay out of harm’s way. Summer comes with its share of seasonal health issues.  “The scorching temperature is responsible for common heat-related illnesses. Vacation spots …

The Manila International Airport Consortium (MIAC), a partnership among six leading Filipino conglomerates and US-based Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), has submitted a P100-billion unsolicited proposal to upgrade the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).  The consortium is made up of Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation, Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corporation, Alliance Global – Infracorp Development, Inc., Filinvest Development Corporation, and …