Banking & Finance

British bank Standard Chartered has offered to help convert the state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) into the government’s infrastructure bank. 

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is consulting the banking sector on a plan to issue new rules regarding online financial transactions next month. 

By Riza Lozada Filipinos working abroad can look forward to having a bank dedicated to their needs and a chance to invest in government securities as the Department of Finance (DOF) said a state-owned OFW bank will open in October while at least $500 million worth of US-dollar OFW bonds is being planned for overseas issue next year. 

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has launched Credit Surety Funds (CSFs) in Tacloban City and Mandaue City. 

The Insurance Commission (IC) is considering to place troubled pre-need firm Provident Plans International Corp. under rehabilitation unless it shows effort to improve its finances. 

Top lender BDO Unibank has extended and expanded its partnership with international financial technology provider Fiserv Inc. 

By Riza Lozada The government is receiving higher shares from state firms and agencies as three government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) remitted recently a total of P4.54 billion to the National Treasury. 

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas campaign on the demonetization of the old banknote series was selected as one of the three finalists under the category Best Communications Program in the 2017 Excellence in Currency Awards of the International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA). 

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will play a central role in realizing the Philippines “economic breakout” which requires an improvement in both tax administration and policy reforms in the agency to ensure a steady revenue stream for the Duterte administration’s ambitious program to modernize the country’s infrastructure backbone and accelerate poverty reduction, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said. 

By Riza Lozada An increase in domestic borrowings bumped up the national government’s (NG) outstanding debt in April by 8.3 percent to P6.37 trillion, Bureau of Treasury (BTr) data showed.