Companies

By Jerry Maglunog  An estimated 70 percent of the country’s 38 million credit and automated teller machine (ATM) cards may not be able to migrate to the Europay, Mastercard and Visa (EMV) chip from the current magnetic strip in the next two years, which should be a cause of worry for an ATM or credit-card owner. 

Online accounts surged by 35.1 percent to 174,592 last year from 129,255 in 2013. Of this total, 99.6 percent or 173,895 were retail accounts. Since 2009, online accounts have grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 43.9 percent, the 2014 Stock Market Investor Profile report of the Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE) showed. 

SM Supermalls, through its technology and lifestyle center Cyberzone, held this month its annual Cyber Month Tech Sale, a month-long indulgence for the tech-savvy, game geeks and gadget lovers. 

By Lito U. Gagni There is a looming water crisis in the country whose breadth and scope is unprecedented and yet the government and populace remains clueless to the worst El Niño phenomenon to hit the globe. 

Globe Telecom continues to set a world-standard in retail with the opening of its 4th GEN3 store in Greenbelt 4, Makati. As the number 1 mobile brand in the country and leader in the digital space, Globe continues its major transformation efforts to give more customers an outstanding digital retail experience. 

By Riza Lozada Flag carrier Philippine Airlines’s parent company, PAL Holdings Inc., reported a 14-percent increase in profit to P55.94 billion in the first half of the year from P48.95 billion a year ago.

By Lito U. Gagni 8990 Holdings continues to rewrite the housing business in the country with its bold and innovative low price points for its housing units exemplified by its 2-percent down payment plan.

Property giant Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) reported its profit surged by 19 percent in the first semester of 2015 on the back of strong earnings from its property, commercial leasing and services.

The 18 automated weather systems (AWS) under Chevron Philippines Inc.’s (CPI) Metro Weather Project are properly functioning after the continuous and intensive maintenance procedures the company conducts with the start of the rainy season, CPI, which markets Caltex brand of fuels including Havoline and Delo lubricants, said.

Within this decade, the town of Concepcion in Tarlac province may become the hub of the country’s source of solar-generated energy.