MANILA, Philippines — St. Luke’s Medical Center and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) are investigating a cybersecurity incident involving the hospital network’s mobile application that may have compromised personal information. NPC spokesperson and Deputy Privacy Commissioner Jose Belarmino II confirmed that the commission received a personal data breach notification from the hospital network on Oct. 30.

With more than 280 global executives in Hong Kong attending the 2026 Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit, the market has been paying attention to what they have to say on today’s hot topics, including artificial intelligence investments, market corrections, asset diversification and the transformation of financial industries. Here are excerpts of what some of the financial industry heavyweights said during panel sessions on the first day of the summit. Sergio P. Ermotti, UBS Group...

Global financial executives have voiced confidence in Hong Kong’s role as a bridge between mainland China and the rest of the world and as a safe haven helping businesses and investors navigate geopolitical tensions and shifting global capital flows. Speaking at the city’s annual Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit on Tuesday, banking leaders discussed how financial institutions were rethinking business and operational strategies in an increasingly uncertain environment, while...

The Philippine peso sustained its strength against the US dollar on Tuesday, extending its win-streak for the third consecutive trading day.

The artificial intelligence boom is creating an unprecedented demand for capital and infrastructure, raising questions about whether debt markets, power grids and corporate productivity can keep pace with the technology’s expansion, executives of global asset management firms warned at a Hong Kong summit. Investment in AI infrastructure could reach US$10 trillion over the next five years, approaching the size of the US$12 trillion US bond market, said Emmanuel Roman, CEO of Pimco. “At some point...

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said Tuesday a European company is pouring in about $50 million to set up a maintenance, repair, and overhaul hangar at the Clark International Airport.

Asset outflows from Binance have normalized, its co-CEO said, as North Korea dismissed US allegations that it was behind a $6.3-billion cryptocurrency heist on its platform.

Beijing says it will introduce extra measures, as needed, to bolster Hong Kong as an international financial centre, with Vice-Premier He Lifeng pledging continued support in a speech on Tuesday. Delivering a keynote speech at the opening of the 2026 Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit in Hong Kong via video link, He said finance was the most important leg of the city’s “four centres and one highland” agenda and stressed that using the advantages of the “one country, two systems”...

Hong Kong is poised to play a bigger role in helping global investors diversify their portfolios as geopolitical uncertainties reshape capital flows and drive demand for alternative markets and asset classes, a senior executive from Bank of China said on Tuesday. The city’s position as an international financial centre, its links between mainland China and global markets, and its offshore yuan market make it an important gateway for cross-border investment, according to Bank of China president...

Ramon Ang-led fuel retailer Petron Corp. reported a 44% decline in its net income in January to September, dragged by rising costs and external headwinds amid the ongoing geopolitical conflict in the Middle East.

China plans to expand foreign exchange settlement services and streamline cross-border trade payments, in a move to lower transaction costs and facilitate international commerce. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (Safe) on Monday released a draft notice for public consultation outlining nine measures to facilitate current-account foreign exchange transactions. The proposals aimed to “broaden the applicable scenarios, scope and types of services” and “further reduce businesses’ fund...

The artificial intelligence (AI) boom could be a super-long cycle that would eventually drive productivity and bring down costs, according to the chairmen of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, who suggested the ongoing pullback in technology stocks could be a temporary speed bump. David Solomon, who is also Goldman Sachs’ CEO, and Ted Pick, also CEO of Morgan Stanley, touted the prospects of the cutting-edge technology and its demand at the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit in Hong Kong...

China’s “Lipstick King” has traded make-up swatches for artificial intelligence. Top live-streamer Li Jiaqi on Monday evening teamed up with an executive from Alibaba Group Holding to pitch AI subscriptions, selling nearly 100,000 monthly packages in just 30 minutes, according to data provided by the e-commerce giant. The broadcast on Taobao and Tmall – Alibaba’s largest domestic online marketplace – marked the first time generative AI products have taken centre stage during the annual Singles’...

The production and consumption of ready-to-drink dairy milk in the Philippines are expected to increase in 2027 due to the increase in dairy herds and various demands, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.

The country"s corn production declined in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) said gasoline prices will increase by as much as P3.50 per liter effective on Tuesday. Diesel and kerosene will have price cuts of at least P1 to P1.90, respectively. The DOE cited “ongoing developments in the Middle East that are affecting global supply and prices.” READ: Gasoline

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines stands to suffer more than China from a further deterioration in bilateral relations, business and civic groups warned on Monday, urging Manila and Beijing to “lower the temperature” and prevent their diplomatic standoff from damaging trade, investment and jobs. More than 20 business, labor and civic organizations called for a

Business and civil society groups have called on Philippine and Chinese officials to exercise sobriety and restraint and renew diplomatic engagement amid recent heated public exchanges between government officials and the Chinese Embassy.

Hong Kong’s plan to start an interbank tokenised gold transaction project marks a crucial step in its quest to make itself a key global hub for the precious metal, according to analysts. The city planned to launch a gold token representing a standard 400-ounce gold bar, referencing HAU, Hong Kong’s ticker for gold prices launched earlier this year, said Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu during the annual Fintech Week event on Monday. He said the effort...

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Tuesday said it is investigating a motorcycle taxi company for allegedly allowing more riders to register on its platform than the number authorized by the agency.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) launched its hotline 15/30 that seeks to provide immediate assistance to workers" concerns.

Philippine manufacturing contracted for the second straight month in October as weak demand dragged output and new orders, results of the latest S&P Global survery released on Tuesday showed.

Finance Secretary Frederick Go is looking into improving the Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA).

Today's briefing focuses on Thailand's improving manufacturing activity, South Korea's major AI investment programme, China's efforts to manage currency appreciation and stabilise its stock market, and diverging manufacturing trends across Asia.

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine banks posted their highest third-quarter profit on record in 2026, as elevated rates boosted their margins despite economic headwinds at home and abroad. Banks booked a combined net profit of P315.5 billion as of end-September, up 4.3 percent from a year earlier, according to preliminary Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data. It

MANILA, Philippines — GCash operator Mynt Inc.’s early stock market slump has made its shares more attractive, but stronger earnings could be needed to drive a recovery, according to COL Financial chief equity strategist April Lee-Tan. Tan said the company’s fundamentals remained strong despite the pullback, pointing to COL’s P8-per-share target price in its initiating coverage

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s economic zone in Casiguran, Aurora, is seeking to attract Canadian investments in critical infrastructure, clean energy and defense manufacturing, capitalizing on opportunities under Ottawa’s P105-billion Indo-Pacific program. The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Apeco) is pitching these opportunities to Canadian businesses through investment roadshows in Montreal and Calgary this

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Hong Kong, November 2, 2026 — HashKey Group (3887.HK), a leading Asian digital asset company, today announced that, its is among the first institutional clients to adopt Standard Chartered’s newly launched institutional tokenised deposit solution. HashKey is using the solution to support its institutional treasury management and settlement use cases. Tokenized deposits are the digital representations of commercial bank...

MANILA, Philippines — Even if the Philippines succeeds in attracting some of the world’s biggest technology companies to its Pax Silica hub, the United States-backed project may not necessarily move the country into higher-value segments of the semiconductor industry, according to a University of the Philippines (UP) study. The government has identified Apple, Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) is prepared to fight to keep the asset-surrender provision, as the Consunji Group floated the possibility of challenging the rule in court. “Yes, we are,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin told reporters recently when asked about the agency’s readiness to defend its joint administrative order with the Department of