Philippines

Two of the biggest recent trends in global insurance are premium growth in emerging markets and the rising importance of technology across the supply chain. The latter has come to be referred to as insurtech, which heralds both threats and opportunities for incumbents and newcomers alike. While technological solutions are being applied along...

The banks of the Asia-Pacific region have been subject to successive waves of regulatory changes in recent years. Remaining compliant with strengthened anti-money laundering rules, know-your-customer guidelines and a raft of sustainability and transparency initiatives proved to be a resource-consuming process for the region’s lending...

This is an important period of transition for the Philippine insurance sector, as stakeholders attempt to meet a range of new regulatory requirements designed to expand the industry’s depth and reach. There has been strong growth in profitability and gross written premium (GWP) in recent years, generated by a wide range of insurance types and...

Tax reform has been front and centre of President Rodrigo Duterte’s policy agenda since the combative former mayor of Davao City was elected to the Philippines’ highest office in 2016. Indeed, enhanced revenue mobilisation from a more efficient and effective tax system is seen by the Duterte administration as a key component of plans to...

In 2018 the Philippines posted a record trade deficit of $41.4bn, the largest gap in the nation’s history. This was a major increase on previous years, compared to $27.4bn in 2017 and $26.7bn in 2016. However, the results from the first few months of 2019 suggest that the deficit is beginning to narrow. In April 2019 the balance of trade in...