Economy

25 August 2024
Frequent disasters encourage Southeast Asians to prepare. A man drives a motorbike in a flooded street after heavy rains in Hanoi, Vietnam, in September 2023.
The Philippine central bank has approved four new licenses for digital bank operators as more Filipinos go cashless.
Finance

Philippines eases digital bank cap as industry fights for profits

Central bank offers 4 new licenses, but experts see credit risk 'challenge'

25 August 2024
The central bank's monetary board has two more meetings scheduled for this year.
Economy

Philippine central bank cuts rates for first time in four years

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipina chief hints at more easing ahead despite inflation

15 August 2024
President and CEO of the Philippine Stock Exchange Ramon Monzon said in an exclusive interview with Nikkei Asia that cuts in the key benchmark rate is vital to generate excitement among investors and lure new IPOs to the market. (Nikkei montage / Source photos by Yuki Fujita)
Equities

Philippine exchange chief backs rate cuts to spur IPOs

Central bank halfway to new listing target set for 2024

13 August 2024
The dollar is coming down from a prolonged period of strength, boosting Asian currencies. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Currencies

Ringgit, baht gain against dollar on speculation of U.S. rate cut

Asian central banks seen weighing own moves as inflationary pressures ease

13 August 2024
A worker installs steel rods at a construction site in Paranaque, a city in Metro Manila.
Economy

Philippines' GDP accelerates to 6.3% despite 'anemic' consumption

Double-digit rise in government spending pushes Q2 growth to fastest in 5 quarters

8 August 2024
Murad Ebrahim, chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, speaks to Nikkei Asia in Tokyo on Aug. 6. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

Philippines' new autonomous region aims to be halal industry hub

Top official says southwest Mindanao attracting investment from Malaysia, Mideast

7 August 2024
GDP for the ASEAN six is expected to increase by an average of 5.1% annually until 2034, outpacing China's projected growth of 3.5% to 4.5%. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Reuters)
Economy

Southeast Asia to outpace China's GDP growth and foreign investment: report

Think tank projects 5.1% average growth next decade in six key economies

1 August 2024
A drone view show of an oil lick in the waters off the coast of Manila Bay in the Philippines on July 29.
Natural disasters

Philippine oil spill threatens livelihoods in fishing village

Fishermen of Tanza in Cavite province distraught as slick washes ashore

29 July 2024
The education sector will get the lion's share of next year's budget, with an allocation of $16.7 billion.
Defense

Philippine defense budget to rise 6.4% amid South China Sea tensions

Coast guard to receive $536.5m to carry out Second Thomas Shoal missions

29 July 2024
A man pushes a hand cart equipped with benches as he ferries passengers along a railway in Manila.
Economy

Philippines seeks Japan, U.S. funding for Subic-Clark railway

$850m plan, part of Luzon Economic Corridor, on hold after China pulls out

29 July 2024
In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, an aerial survey is conducted as part of an oil spill response operation in Manila Bay on July 25. The sinking of a tanker raised fears over a possible spill. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
Natural disasters

Taiwan and Philippines lashed by typhoon, oil tanker sinks

Dozens killed in flooding and landslides as storm moves toward China

25 July 2024
Rescuers assist residents in the Metro Manila city of Marikina on July 24 amid heavy rains brought by Typhoon Gaemi.
Natural disasters

Typhoon Gaemi dumps heavy rain in Manila; 114 flights canceled

More than 600,000 people displaced, with 16 cities asking for emergency funding

24 July 2024
Containers are offloaded from the freighter Alula Express at South Korea's Busan Newport International Terminal, one of the largest container ports in the world.
Economy

Developing Asia's growth revised up by ADB as tech exports grow

Regional lender keeps forecasts for ASEAN economies, China, India unchanged

17 July 2024
Staff from housekeeping services provider Bears. While a severe labor shortage in Japan means many companies are keen to hire from overseas, comparatively low wages and the historically weak yen are blunting the country's appeal. (Photos by Yuji Murakami and Ryosuke Matsui)
Asia Insight

Japan's new enemy in fight to lure immigrant workers: The tumbling yen

Visa rules eased, but currency weakness tarnishes Japan's appeal for overseas hires

16 July 2024
Economists expect the Philippine central bank to cut its key policy rate later in 2024.
Economy

Philippine central bank chief says August rate cut 'more likely' than before

Keeps key interest rate on hold for now amid lingering inflation worries

27 June 2024
Bangladeshi workers in Dhaka line up for air tickets to return to Saudi Arabia. Many South Asian migrants work in the Middle East.
Immigration

Philippines, Bangladesh push Asian migrant numbers to record high

6.93 million workers go abroad in 2023 as remittances hit $371.5 billion

27 June 2024
The Philippines considers online casinos operating in the country for Chinese gamblers as "not yet a national security threat ... but a national security concern," according to National Security Advisor Eduardo Ano. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters)
International relations

Philippines warns online casinos could be China-linked 'Trojan horses'

Concerns mount as authorities continue investigations and raids

24 June 2024
Arsenio Balisacan, secretary of the Philippine National Economic and Development Authority, expressed the importance of sustaining economic momentum at a media roundtable in Tokyo on June 20. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
South China Sea

Philippines wants China economic ties despite tensions: top official

Manila hopes Japan will take a larger economic role, including more ODA funding

21 June 2024
A cargo vessel docked at Manila's main port. The nation has plans to improve its supply chains.
Supply Chain

Philippines plans 17 new ports to boost agricultural supply chain

Move comes as many in country grapple with surging food prices

19 June 2024
Ferdinand Marcos Jr., center, at the New York Stock Exchange in 2022: The Philippine president's team has taken the easy road of producing big GDP numbers.
Opinion

Philippines won't convince skeptics without reform plans

Market harbors doubts about country's economic prospects

6 June 2024
A panel led by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on June 4 announced a plan to slash the tariff on imported rice. 
Agriculture

Philippine rice tariff cut will benefit Vietnam, not farmers, experts say

World's top rice importer moves to contain inflation with 'double-edged sword'

4 June 2024
Spick and span: An instructor oversees a worker from the Philippines as she goes through a training session at the Tokyo head office of housekeeping company Bears. (Photo by Ryosuke Matsui)
Japan immigration

Japanese housekeeping companies turn to Philippines and beyond for staff

Move comes amid surging demand for services such as cleaning and laundry

25 May 2024
The Philippine peso has been on a downtrend recently, as the U.S. Federal Reserve holds off on interest rate cuts and the Philippine central bank adopts an easier monetary stance. 
Currencies

Philippine peso falls to 18-month low against dollar

Central bank's 'less hawkish' stance leaves currency to slide

21 May 2024
Food prices have risen in Philippine fresh markets as El Nino hurts agriculture.  
Economy

Philippine GDP expanded 5.7% in Q1 but headwinds persist

Inflation, up for third consecutive month, hampers 2024 growth prospects

9 May 2024