Philippines

Strong economic growth and a rise in energy demand have exerted pressure on the Philippines’ energy sector in recent years. With large, easily accessible oil and gas discoveries long since picked over, a continued decline in petroleum production has encouraged a heavy reliance on imports. As the country shifts its energy priorities away from crude oil and towards natural gas, the Department of...

With development dating back nearly 200 years, the Philippine insurance sector is among the region’s most mature and competitive, expanding steadily in recent years despite serious challenges in 2014. The nation remains prone to natural disasters, as evidenced by Typhoon Haiyan, a category-five storm that caused billions in damage when it struck in November 2013. It cost the sector millions...

As domestic liquidity surged and foreign investors gradually returned after a general flight from emerging markets in 2013, Philippine capital markets were riding a wave of optimism in 2014 and early 2015. The Philippine Stock Exchange’s (PSE) blue-chip index, the PSEI, hit a fresh all-time high in January 2015 and was continuing to rise in February, finally working past the “taper tantrum”...

As banks expand credit to a traditionally under-banked economy, the sector is enjoying a period of rapid catchup growth. A positive feedback loop is at work in which banks are increasingly driving economic growth, supported by inflows from foreign investment and Filipinos working abroad, while growing trust in the banking system is drawing greater volumes of savings. Although bank lending has...

After years of lagging behind its South-east Asian peers, the Philippines is seeing a long-awaited awakening of foreign direct investment (FDI). Although FDI volumes are still smaller than what countries in its peer group attract, the Philippines has been catching up at an impressive pace. Although many of the challenges that impeded investment in the past have yet to be fully overcome, the...

The Philippines has been a pioneer in decentralisation for Asia, having commenced its local governance reforms in 1991 through the formulation and implementation of the Local Government Code (LGC), which served as the operating framework for the local government system. The LGC seeks to increase local government autonomy and accountability by assigning functions and revenue generating powers...