MANILA, Philippines — Lopez-led First Gen has secured a major supply deal, with 189 Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) outlets shifting to renewable energy. In a statement over the weekend, First Gen said it had secured a series of power supply contracts to energize Jollibee-owned stores. READ: First Gen sets P41.7B for projects The government’s retail aggregation

MANILA, Philippines — Air travelers may see a slight reduction in ticket costs in the second half of October after the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) approved lower, but still elevated, fuel surcharges for the period. In an advisory on Monday, the regulator said airlines may impose a Level 16 fuel surcharge from Oct. 16 to 31,

MANILA, Philippines — The Social Security System (SSS) has cracked down on five employers in Pasay City over P1.14 million in unpaid workers’ contributions, which have ballooned to P3.19 million with penalties. In a statement, the SSS said the five employers incurred P2.05 million in penalties for failing to remit their employees’ monthly contributions, which totaled

MANILA, Philippines — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) said Monday it was extending the suspension of its flights to and from Riyadh until Nov. 29 amid continuing security threats to the Saudi capital’s international airport. The latest advisory covers both inbound and outbound services, and extends a suspension first imposed on Oct. 8 and subsequently extended

MANILA, Philippines — The national government’s debt service bill dropped in August as the absence of a massive bond maturity settlement made in the same month last year sharply reduced principal repayments. Latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed that debt payments fell nearly 89 percent to P76.12 billion in August from

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is revisiting plans dating back to 2019 to install a cable car system in Baguio, potentially connecting the popular tourist destination to areas at the foot of the mountain city. Transportation Undersecretary Mark Pastor said that the agency is engaging with the Baguio city government, led by Mayor

MANILA, Philippines — The influx of China-made electric vehicles (EVs) is hindering Philippine manufacturers, especially those making electrified motorcycles and tricycles, from establishing a presence in the domestic market, an industry leader warned. More Chinese EV brands like BYD, Chery, and MG have entered the Filipino market, helping to narrow the price gap between electric and

British International Investment (BII) committed to $1.6 billion in climate financing in Southeast Asian economies over the next five years to support the shift to renewable energy.

MANILA, Philippines — Lucio Tan-led Philippine National Bank (PNB) is considering a bond issuance early next year to support lending expansion, although the amount, currency and tenor have yet to be determined. PNB president and CEO Edwin Bautista said the bank had no immediate funding requirement for the rest of 2026 but could tap the

MANILA, Philippines — Motorists will see mixed oil price movements this week, with gasoline posting another hike and diesel dropping by about P3 per liter. In a media briefing, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin said gasoline prices will increase anew by P1.56 per liter beginning Tuesday. READ: Mixed fuel price adjustments expected next week

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) is planning further measures to boost market liquidity, attract more international investors and expand the use of China’s currency, including through yuan-denominated gold futures and stock trading, according to a blog post by its CEO on Monday. The plans come as the city steps up efforts to reinforce its position as a leading international financial centre, following priorities outlined in the government’s policy address and the city’s five-year...

Pag-IBIG has partnered with the BCDA to develop affordable housing for Filipino workers close to their workplaces, initially focusing on some 14 hectares of land in Tarlac.

Google has announced a $5-million funding program to equip Southeast Asian communities with the skills to identify, prevent, and respond to online scams, including AI-driven threats.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has denied the accreditation applications of GrabBike and Dingdong RiderKo, a motorcycle taxi service associated with actor Dingdong Dantes, for failing to meet the agency's requirements.

Shenzhen Transsion Holdings drew a lukewarm response for its HK$3.36 billion (US$428 million) Hong Kong share offering, heightening worries over market sentiment for new listings in the fourth quarter. The maker of Africa’s bestselling phones closed its bookbuilding on Monday, with preliminary figures showing the offering attracted about 14,000 applications and was oversubscribed roughly 3.5 times, according to people familiar with the matter. Retail participation in Hong Kong initial public...

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has lowered its forecast on the Philippines' raw sugar production for marketing year (MY) 2026 to 2027, citing several factors including the threat of El Niño.

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. returned to Manila early Monday after a five-day working visit to Singapore, citing investment plans and expanded trade opportunities as key gains from his trip. The aircraft carrying the Philippine delegation landed at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at 1:54 a.m. READ: Marcos renews pitch for nuclear energy

A former top executive at HSBC has launched an artificial intelligence-driven wealth management start-up, setting her sights on a billion-dollar valuation and betting that AI can transform how individuals manage their investments and finances. Trista Sun, formerly a managing director in the international wealth and premier banking division at HSBC, said in an interview last week that her venture Equora aimed to help investors manage their finances “proactively” with AI agents, addressing...

China has begun building the world’s first utility-scale power plant combining two emerging technologies: supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) generation and large-scale molten salt energy storage. The Ruitan project, under construction at a coal-fired power station in Yantai in eastern China’s Shandong province, is intended to demonstrate how combining these technologies can reduce energy wastage and improve the stability of the electrical grid. Electricity produced when demand is low is stored...

A safety failure spotted in tests of a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) made by a Huawei Technologies-backed luxury brand has raised doubts about the cars many consumers view as a source of national pride, and prompted regulators to step up policing of quality and reliability. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with three other ministry-level departments, published draft rules on Saturday that would govern testing of new car models. The move came after a video released on...

Police in China have detained a controller of Yiren Digital, a US-listed Chinese digital lender, after two related investment platforms failed to repay mainland investors for over four months. The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau said that it had recently launched an official criminal investigation into relevant companies associated with CreditEase over suspected illegal activities and had arrested controllers, including a 53-year-old male with the surname Tang and a 51-year-old female...

German sportswear giant Adidas is bent on new fashionable outdoor and street dance apparel to sustain its growth in China amid heightened competition against domestic and international rivals, according to its CEO Bjorn Gulden. “We see that there’s a running boom and an outdoor boom [in China],” he told reporters in a media briefing in Shanghai on Sunday. “We see new sports like street dance [becoming] new activities that look to be relevant for the young people in the universities.” He said...

Thailand is introducing two new tourism fees: a 450-baht entry fee starting in the first quarter of 2027, and a 1,000-baht departure tax for all air travelers.

More than half of Hong Kong’s working adults believe artificial intelligence will make their retirement path more unpredictable than previous generations, yet only one in five feel financially prepared for the shift, according to a survey by global asset manager T. Rowe Price. About 55 per cent of the 1,004 Hong Kong residents surveyed – all 30 or older and earning at least HK$15,000 (US$2,239) per month – said they expected AI-driven disruptions to destabilise their long-term career and income...

China’s manufacturing sector is leapfrogging straight into the era of agentic artificial intelligence and is now exporting that playbook to global supply chains, according to the CEO of Black Lake, a Chinese provider of cloud-based AI tools for factories. “Just as China skipped credit cards and jumped directly to mobile payments, many factories are skipping full traditional digitalisation and jumping directly to AI agents,” Zhou Yuxiang said in a recent interview with the South China Morning...

Motorists will see mixed fuel price adjustments beginning Tuesday, October 13, with diesel prices dropping by P3.01 per liter and gasoline prices increasing by P1.56 per liter, the Department of Energy (DOE) said Monday.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday urged the Supreme Court (SC) to review the doctrine requiring the identification of a main plunderer in plunder cases, calling it not justice but a shield for the guilty.

Singapore’s MNE groups must register with IRAS from 2025, with specific entity and timeline requirements.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is facing the highest pressure from inflation in Asia, which may prompt the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to extend its rate-hiking cycle even as economic growth has already weakened, analysts said. In a report, Nomura economists pointed to early signs of inflation generalization across Asia, a key indicator for

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign investors turned net sellers of Philippine stocks and government securities in August, snapping three consecutive months of foreign portfolio investment (FPI) net inflows as outflows exceeded inflows by $315 million. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed the FPI net outflow marked a sharp reversal from the $2.3-billion net inflow