Business

The banking industry is robust, and retail investors, businesses and individual consumers are availing themselves with affordable loans from the banks. This bodes well for a growing economy, even if saddled with various political woes. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has released its preliminary data showing bank lending continued to expand in October, driven by steady credit demand from …

The 28-day Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas bill (BSPB) registered a lower yield in this week’s auction as investors continued to show strong appetite for short-term securities, the BSP reported Friday. In a statement, the central bank said the weighted average interest rate (WAIR) for the 28-day tenor fell by 6.45 basis points week-on-week to 4.9461 percent. The BSP kept the …

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), on Monday, topped the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) performance evaluation award, highlighting the agency’s superlative performance score of more than 100% for 2024. At the awards ceremony for Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) organized by GCG at the City of Paranaque, PCSO surpassed other top-ranking GOCCs recognized for exemplary performance, demonstrating the …

SM Foundation leverages technology to help transform healthcare in communities For decades, community health centers survived on paper. Handwritten charts, overstuffed logbooks, and filing cabinets formed the backbone of daily operations. Although the paper system had long been serviceable, it slowed health professionals: locating one patient record could take several minutes, missing charts derailed schedules, and limited storage left staff …

Boosts competitiveness between Rio de Janeiro, Southern Minas Gerais CLIA Pouso Alegre, a Brazilian business unit of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) recently inaugurated the expansion of its Logistics and Industrial Center, strengthening the connection between the Port of Rio de Janeiro and Southern Minas Gerais, a region known for its diverse industrial base and growing demand for integrated logistics …

By DIEGO C. CAGAHASTIAN WHO says that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.  is all parties, parries, and politics?   The President finds time to do real work, such as when he met with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona last Wednesday to review the October 2025 monetary policy decision in the light of recent financial and social indicators, and …

THE Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Wednesday elected Cecile L. Ang as its nonbroker director representing investors, and Jaime J. Bautista as an independent director following recent resignations from both posts. Ms. Ang, daughter of San Miguel Corp. Chairman Ramon S. Ang, was nominated by the San Miguel Corp. Retirement Plan. She will fill the vacancy left by Ferdinand K. …

Consumer loan growth is expected to lose some momentum next year as softer economic activity, global uncertainties and shifting borrower sentiment weigh on demand, Bank of the Philippine Islands executives said. BPI head of consumer banking Maria Cristina Go said weaker consumer confidence could temper loan expansion in 2026 even as interest rates continue to ease. “We will be cautiously …

Two finance officials, speaking at different venues, expressed hope this week that the current political and social turmoil over corruption scandals in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) do not affect the nation’s economic performance. Finance Secretary Frederick Go plans to meet with his counterparts in the various departments such as tourism, agriculture, transportation, energy and public works …

By DAISY C. ILAGAN Trade Secretary Cristina Roque, who made a name in business selling T-shirts and other garment lines, created quite a ruckus recently when she claimed that for 500 pesos, a regular Filipino family can partake of decent food during the coming Noche Buena. Noche Buena, that long-running tradition of Filipino families sharing the Christmas eve meal together, …