The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reopening the online lending app market nearly five years after freezing new entrants, but is doing so under a stricter regulatory regime meant to curb the abusive and predatory practices that have long dogged the sector.
The Philippine government is backing the planned expansion of Canadian enterprise software firm OpenText in the country, a move officials said could bring more investments in cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and other digital technologies while generating additional high-value jobs.
Hawaii-based outsourcing firm Connext Global said it is expanding its operations in the Philippines after posting 15% revenue growth in the first half of 2026, opening a new office in Cebu City and ramping up hiring to meet client demand.
Canadian business process outsourcing (BPO) firm NQX is planning to invest P632 million in the Philippines and add 725 direct jobs as it expands its operations outside Metro Manila, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Canadian digital services firm Telus is looking to expand its Philippine operations in artificial intelligence (AI)-related services, healthcare support, software engineering, and workforce development, although the company has yet to announce a new investment amount or timeline for the planned growth.
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) said it will waive InstaPay fees for person-to-person fund transfers made through its digital banking apps starting July 4, joining a growing number of banks lowering the cost of digital transactions as competition in mobile banking intensifies.
PLDT, Smart Communications and DITO Telecommunity have signed a memorandum of understanding to share selected telecom infrastructure, a move the companies said could help expand network coverage and improve service reliability.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said its Project Agila pilot has shown that a distributed ledger-based wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC) platform can support interbank fund transfers beyond normal business hours, giving the central bank an early technical basis for using tokenized money in large-value payments.
The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) will permanently waive fees for interbank fund transfers made through its digital banking platforms beginning July 1, becoming one of the first major banks to align with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) latest push to make electronic payments more affordable.
The BSP said the amendments were prompted in part by the results of its Consumer Expectations Survey for the fourth quarter of 2025, which found that one in three Filipino consumers cited high transaction fees as a major barrier to using digital payments more frequently.
