Philippine banking assets top ₱30 trillion on lending, liquidity growth

The Philippine banking system’s total assets climbed to ₱30.12 trillion as of end-April, driven by sustained growth in lending and strong liquidity, with investment holdings continuing to support the economy. The latest preliminary Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed banks’ combined assets expanded by 12 percent from ₱26.89 trillion in April 2025. Month-on-month, however, they eased by 0.7 percent from ₱30.34 trillion in March. Banks’ assets are primarily supported by deposits, loans, and investments, including cash, balances due from other banks, interbank loans receivable (IBL), and reverse repurchase (RRP) agreements, net of credit-loss provisions. As of April, the banking sector’s total loan portfolio, inclusive of IBL and RRP, increased by 12.3 percent to ₱16.67 trillion from ₱14.85 trillion in the same period last year. Net investments, which include financial assets and equity holdings in subsidiaries, increased by 8.1 percent to ₱8.68 trillion as of end-April from ₱8.03 trillion a year ago. Meanwhile, net real and other properties acquired (ROPA) jumped by nearly a fifth year-on-year to ₱143 billion from ₱119.9 billion last year. Cash and balances due from banks increased by 14.7 percent to ₱2.2 trillion as of end-April from ₱1.91 trillion a year ago. Other assets of the banking industry increased by more than a fifth to ₱2.43 trillion in April from ₱1.98 trillion in the same month last year. The total liabilities of the banking system reached ₱26.49 trillion during the period, up 13.2 percent from ₱23.41 trillion a year ago. Deposit liabilities accounted for the bulk, or 83.3 percent, of banks’ liabilities, rising 11.6 percent to ₱22.06 trillion as of end-April from ₱19.77 trillion a year ago. Of the total deposits, peso-denominated accounts amounted to ₱18.16 trillion, while foreign-currency deposits reached ₱3.9 trillion. Reyes Tacandong & Co. senior adviser Jonathan Ravelas said the double-digit growth in...