The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), through its policy-making Monetary Board, has approved key amendments to foreign exchange (FX) regulations that are expected to enhance Filipinos’ access to hedging tools while helping deepen the local capital market. Outlined in BSP Circular No. 1212, the revised regulations expand the list of allowable FX hedging instruments involving the Philippine peso. Previously, only …
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BDO Unibank Inc. remains upbeat about its performance prospects for 2025 despite headwinds from global economic uncertainties, expressing confidence in the resilience of the Philippine economy to support sustained growth. BDO President and Chief Executive Officer Nestor Tan said during a briefing on Friday that the bank’s strong start in the first quarter—marked by a net income of PHP19.7 billion, …
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The Department of Finance (DOF) has introduced a new revenue regulation designed to unify and simplify the country’s tax incentives for the education sector to attract more investments in human capital development. Revenue Regulations (RR) No. 13-2025, which took effect on April 17, aims to streamline outdated processes that have long limited access to tax breaks provided under current laws …
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State-run Land Bank of the Philippines reported a significant jump in digital banking usage in 2024, with transactions growing by 67 percent year-on-year. From 97.08 million digital transactions recorded in 2023, the figure surged to 162.28 million last year. The total value of these transactions also saw a sharp increase, rising to P3.38 trillion, 38 percent higher than the P2.45 …
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The Department of Health and San Miguel Corporation, through its San Miguel Foundation, Inc., opened recently a second Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) Center, further strengthening their pioneering partnership to bridge public healthcare gaps especially for the poor. The new BUCAS Center, which is located at the San Miguel Foundation’s Better World Smokey Mountain facility in Manila, is …
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The SM Foundation has launched its Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) program in Southern Luzon, with 100 farmers from San Juan, Batangas commencing a 14-week training on modern agricultural practices. The program provides practical instruction in organic farming, crop rotation, and climate- resilient techniques. In addition to agricultural training, participants will undergo learning sessions in financial literacy, bookkeeping, and marketing to …
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Laguna Water and Laguna Aquatech (LARC), Manila Water Non-East Zone operating units in the Province of Laguna, have successfully transitioned to the electricity Retail Aggregation Program (RAP), marking the first-ever implementation of such initiative outside Metro Manila. The milestone highlights both the companies’ commitment to delivering clean, sustainable, and cost-efficient water services to the communities and businesses in Laguna. The …
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Highlighting its growing contribution to advancing the Philippine capital market, LandBank was honored as one of the top-performing institutions at the 2025 Philippine Dealing System (PDS) Annual Awards Night. The state-run bank clinched third place in the Top 5 Corporate Issue Managers/Arrangers–Bank Category, in recognition of its vital role in facilitating the issuance of corporate fixed-income securities in 2024. The …
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Filipino scientists have discovered a simple, affordable way to make dynamically adjustable water-based lenses that have a wide variety of potential future applications — from classrooms and research labs to cameras and even wearable gadgets. By coating an ordinary glass slide with specially-prepared polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, the researchers were able to create a hydrophobic surface that could hold a …
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The FOOD Philippines showcase at FOODEX Japan 2025 last March 11-14 resulted in solid deals with major global market players, and rounded out the first quarter series of overseas trade fairs for food by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the lead promotion arm for the Philippine export industry. Participating exhibitors were able to secure deals with …
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The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business