Michael Beltran

With 82 malls in the Philippines, including the Mall of Asia (above), SM Prime is the last major property developer in the country to have a Reit unit listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange.
ASEAN BUSINESS

SM Prime’s planned US$1 billion Reit listing will give Philippines market a much-needed fillip

[MANILA] SM Prime Holdings – a major developer of malls and offices in the Philippines – is planning to launch the listing...

Avril de Torres (right) of the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development says the shift from loans to bonds is what facilitates continued fossil fuel investments.

Despite moratorium, Philippine banks still financing fossil fuel projects: report

[MANILA] Banks in the Philippines continue to bankroll fossil fuel and coal projects mostly by issuing bonds, and they are doing so...

Philippine peso bills inside a money changer in Manila. The majority of Filipinos say they support the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund.

Philippines’ proposed sovereign wealth fund faces bumpy road in the Senate

The Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) – the proposed sovereign wealth fund of the Philippines – continues to face plenty of resistance in...

A worker shows Philippine peso bills at a money changer in Manila. The central bank has expressed confidence that this could be brought down to below 4 per cent by as early as the third quarter of 2023.

Philippines faces tough fight to maintain price stability

[MANILA] The inflation rate in the Philippines reached a 14-year high of 8.1 per cent in December, but the central bank has...

Commercial and residential buildings in Manila. The proposal to create the Maharlika Investment Fund, as it is called, faced plenty of resistance soon after it was filed in Congress.
ASEAN BUSINESS

Marcos-backed Philippines sovereign wealth fund faces pushback from business groups

[MANILA] Business leaders and economic analysts in the Philippines have criticised the plans by the government to establish a sovereign wealth fund...

A file photo of the Philippine peso. The currency is one of the worst performing currencies in Asia this year.

Philippine peso continues to fall, with fears of more interest rate hikes to come

The Philippine peso – one of the worst performing currencies in Asia this year – depreciated against the US dollar for a...

Customers dine in a restaurant in Batangas City, Philippines. The central bank governor Benjamin Diokno is optimistic that the country will post an even better performance following a solid rebound last year.

Philippines economy will continue to see strong growth under new administration: central bank chief

AFTER an impressive first quarter in which the Philippines saw better-than-expected growth of 8.3 per cent, the country’s central bank believes the...