Philippines

Salmon gives customers access to financial products from partners registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the Philippines. (Source photo by Reuters and logo from Salmon's website)
DealStreetAsia

Philippine consumer fintech startup Salmon gets $20m debt facility

Company plans to expand loan book, launch new products in 2nd half of 2023

21 July 2023
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 19 test-rides new train cars delivered for Manila's light rail line. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Transportation

Manila debuts light rail cars built with Japanese tech

Mitsubishi-backed trains to cut congestion as Philippines develops infrastructure

20 July 2023
A man walks in Beijing's Central Business District on July 12.
Economy

ADB trims 2024 growth outlook for Asia on rate hike effects

Development bank maintains projection for this year

19 July 2023
Vietnam's first imports of liquefied natural gas reached PetroVietnam Gas' Thi Vai terminal this month. (Photo by Yuji Nitta)
Energy

Vietnam, Philippines heat up LNG demand in Southeast Asia

With renewables lagging, countries seek more accessible alternative to coal

14 July 2023
A consortium of six conglomerates is making a bid to expand Manila's main airport, which is already stretched beyond capacity.
Transportation

Rival Philippine firms set aside differences to fix up Manila airport

Conglomerates revive renovation plan after COVID quashed previous bid

13 July 2023
A Chinese Coast Guard ship allegedly obstructs a Philippine Coast Guard vessel providing support during a Philippine Navy operation in the disputed South China Sea on June 30.
South China Sea

Philippines launches website on South China Sea arbitration win

Manila tells its story as U.S. urges China to comply on anniversary of 2016 ruling

12 July 2023
In Thailand, the Yellow Line connecting the outskirts of Bangkok to neighboring Samut Prakan province began operations in July. (Photo by Kosuke Inoue)
Transportation

From Bangkok to Manila, Southeast Asia metro rail expands rapidly

Networks across region to grow 20% through 2024, helping to ease congestion

11 July 2023
Philippine nurses train with a dummy patient during a lesson on childbirth in Manila on Sept. 16, 2022.
Health Care

Philippines to hire unlicensed nurses as shortages bite

Many with nursing qualifications take jobs abroad for higher salaries

10 July 2023
Viva, the Philippine company that owns the VivaMax streaming app, is considering listing its holding company as early as 2024. 
Media & Entertainment

Philippine entertainment group Viva considers $250m IPO in 2024

Proprietor of popular VivaMax app aims to become a Southeast Asia player

7 July 2023
Foreign workers work at a construction site in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia following the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.
Work

Migrant workers in Asia approach pre-pandemic levels

Remittances to home countries in Asia-Pacific region hit record high in 2022

6 July 2023
A year into the job, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has shaken off some of the most pessimistic predictions that greeted his historic election victory. But the spiraling cost of living is still a huge concern for many Filipinos. (Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
Asia Insight

Philippines' Marcos Jr. defies skeptics but challenges persist

As president enters second year in power, Filipinos fed up with inflation

4 July 2023
Container terminals in Singapore. The city-state's economy is highly sensitive to external economic conditions. 
Economy

Singapore, Indonesia outlook downgraded on weak China: JCER

Political instability emerges as top concern in Thailand post-election

2 July 2023
A POGO trade fair in Manila in 2019. At its peak, the online gambling sector generated around $500 million worth of taxes and fees a year for the government. (Photo by Cliff Venzon)
Opinion

The Philippines should pull the plug on online gambling

Crime and corruption linked to POGOs outweigh dwindling economic benefits

29 June 2023
Scorching conditions from the El Nino weather pattern are expected to crimp production at palm oil plantations like this one in Indonesia's East Kalimantan province. 
Economy

From Indonesia to Vietnam, El Nino fans fears of fires and drought

Returning climate pattern set to hit key crops as well as industrial sector

23 June 2023
Megaworld has developed malls and commercial facilities in Manila. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Travel & Leisure

Philippine developer Megaworld to invest $6.3bn in 5-year push

Group looks beyond Metro Manila to build tourism and outsourcing facilities

19 June 2023
Ninoy Aquino International Airport handled 48 million passengers in 2019, well beyond its 31 million declared capacity, according to the consortium. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Transportation

Philippine group backed by U.S. fund touts $4.8bn airport pitch

Former World Bank head backs calls for urgent upgrade of Manila gateway

19 June 2023
An advertisement in Manila for the "Voltes V" live-action series, which comes more than 40 years after the original anime aired in Japan. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Media & Entertainment

'Voltes V' anime sees new life as Philippine live-action remake

Original Japanese series was abruptly banned under Marcos in the 1970s

18 June 2023
Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. hold their first trilateral exercises in the South China Sea in June.
Indo-Pacific

U.S., Philippines and Japan eye regular South China Sea exercises

Three-way cooperation seen as key to deterring China along 'first island chain'

17 June 2023
Lazada’s estimated gross merchandise value fell from $21 billion in 2021 to to $20.1 billion last year, according to a report by the consultancy Momentum Works.
Retail

TikTok rises, Alibaba's Lazada falters in ASEAN e-commerce

ByteDance-owned platform grows in Southeast Asia but still lags behind rivals

15 June 2023
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, has been warming up to the West in a sharp pivot from his Beijing-leaning predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, right. (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

China is at crux of clash of Philippine presidential dynasties

Arroyo and Dutertes pull away in discomfort with Marcos' Western pivot

14 June 2023
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, his cousin, attend the president's first state of the nation address in Quezon City in July 2022.
Companies

Philippine company linked with Marcos ally strikes business deals

RYM Business Management bets on media, banking and infrastructure

8 June 2023
Philippine infrastructure conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments holds its annual stockholder meeting on June 6. (Photo by Cliff Venzon)
Business deals

Mitsui-backed plan to buy out Philippines' Metro Pacific hits snag

Exchange orders new adviser as minority shareholders say offer price too low

7 June 2023
Social commerce platform Sarisuki aims to modernize local food markets in the Philippines, says co-founder Bam Mejia, second from right. (Photo courtesy of Sarisuki)
Comment

Philippine startup, others have lesson for Big Tech: Serve society

Japanese 'triple win' principle of centuries ago makes digital services comeback

7 June 2023
Filipino Workers submit documents after arriving at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Kuwait, following a call for them to evacuate after a Filipina domestic helper was found dead in a freezer in February 2018.
International relations

Kuwait-bound Filipino migrants left stranded by entry ban

Two countries have clashed over how to address incidents of worker abuse

6 June 2023
A one-way Zipair ticket from Narita to Manila starts at $78, and it's less than half that for children under 6. (Photo by Konosuke Urata)
Travel & Leisure

LCCs add Philippines-Japan flights as travel curbs ease

Zipair, AirAsia and Jetstar bet big on summer holiday demand

4 June 2023