Category: Business

Business

Metro Pacific Tollways Core Profit Hits Record ₱3.84B Even as PH Traffic Falls — But Its Biggest Move May Still Be Ahead

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. has managed to pull off an unusual combination: fewer vehicles on its Philippine roads, but more money coming in. The Manuel V. Pangilinan-led tollway operator booked ₱3.843 billion in core income attributable to shareholders in the first six months of 2026, up from ₱3.552 billion a year earlier, according to the company’s latest regulatory filing. The result also tops the roughly ₱3.4 billion in core earnings reported for the first half of 2024, putting MPTC at a n

August 29, 2026

Business

BPI Wealth Taps BlackRock’s Aladdin for Its ₱2-Trillion Wealth Business — But the Biggest Change Could Be What Clients See Next

MANILA, Philippines — One of the Philippines’ biggest wealth managers is making a major technology bet as Filipino investors increasingly look beyond traditional local investments and demand more sophisticated ways to manage their money. BPI Wealth, the asset and wealth management arm of Bank of the Philippine Islands, has selected BlackRock’s Aladdin investment technology to strengthen the way it manages portfolios, measures risk and delivers investment insights to clients. The move brings to

August 28, 2026

Business

Philippine Airfares Are Going Up Again in September — But the Biggest Increase Could Hit International Travelers Hardest

MANILA, Philippines — Travelers booking flights in the Philippines face another increase in ticket costs in early September after the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) raised the allowable fuel surcharge by one level, reflecting renewed pressure from expensive jet fuel and volatile global energy markets. CAB’s official advisory dated August 27 sets the passenger and cargo fuel surcharge at Level 13 from September 1 to 15, 2026, up from Level 12 during the second half of August. The regulator has be

August 28, 2026

Business

Ayala Is Building an AI Tax Assistant for the BIR — But It Won’t Be Making the Final Decisions

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Internal Revenue is bringing artificial intelligence deeper into Philippine tax administration, teaming up with Ayala Corporation to develop an AI-powered assistant designed to help revenue officers navigate the country's increasingly complex body of tax rules faster and more consistently. The system, called “Terry the Tax AI Assistant,” is being developed to help BIR personnel retrieve, cross-reference and analyze tax regulations, revenue rulings, issuances

August 28, 2026

Business

Fun Coffee Victims Lost Their Money — Now Scammers Are Coming Back With a New Offer Police Say Could Cost Them Even More

SINGAPORE — People who lost money through the troubled Fun Coffee investment platform are now facing another danger: scammers claiming they can recover the missing funds — but only after victims pay more money first. The Singapore Police Force issued a warning on Aug 27 about a new wave of fund recovery scams targeting people affected by Fun Coffee, an investment platform already under investigation in Singapore and linked to substantial reported losses elsewhere in the region. According to po

August 28, 2026

Business

He Was Trained to Save Lives—Then One Unexpected Pair of Shoes Changed Everything for Jojo Bragais

MANILA, Philippines — Before his name became synonymous with towering heels, beauty queens, and some of the biggest stages in international pageantry, Jojo Bragais was pursuing an entirely different dream: becoming a doctor. Today, the Filipino designer is known as the “Beauty Queens’ Shoemaker,” with his creations worn by some of the Philippines’ most celebrated pageant winners. But behind the glamorous footwear and international recognition is a deeply personal story of hardship, reinvention,

August 28, 2026

Business

Shein Gets Options and Short-Selling From Day One in Hong Kong — But Its Valuation Collapse Is the Bigger Story

HONG KONG, Aug. 28, 2026 — Shein has not even started trading in Hong Kong yet, but investors are already being given multiple ways to bet on where the fast-fashion giant’s shares go next — including down. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) confirmed Friday that when Shein Global Holdings Limited begins trading on Sept. 1 under stock code 625, the exchange will simultaneously introduce weekly and monthly Shein options. Shein shares will also immediately join Hong Kong’s list of se

August 28, 2026

Business

Global Markets Are Heading Into a Dangerous September — But the Biggest Risk May Not Be the Fed

Investors returning from the summer break are walking into one of the most complicated stretches of 2026, with interest-rate decisions, the Iran conflict, soaring government debt, political battles in Europe and extraordinarily expensive AI companies all capable of moving markets within weeks. Global financial markets may be entering September with record-breaking technology enthusiasm still alive, but underneath the rally, warning signs are multiplying. From Washington and Tokyo to Paris and

August 28, 2026

Business

Google Is Dropping a Controversial Search Penalty Across Europe — But There’s a Major Catch

Alphabet’s Google is making a significant Europe-only change to one of its most controversial search enforcement policies, a move that could help the technology giant ease regulatory pressure from the European Union and potentially avoid another major penalty. Google said on Friday, Aug. 28, that beginning Aug. 30, 2026, manual actions imposed under its “site reputation abuse” policy will no longer affect search results shown to users in the European Economic Area, which includes all 27 Europea

August 28, 2026

Business

Ninja Van Is No Longer Just Delivering Parcels—What Its Riders Are Seeing Could Change How Businesses Operate

For years, logistics companies have largely been judged by one simple measure: how efficiently they can get a package from point A to point B. But Ninja Van Philippines is pushing that idea further. The technology-enabled logistics company has introduced Ninja FieldSight, an AI-powered retail intelligence platform designed to turn observations gathered through its nationwide delivery operations into actionable information for businesses. The goal is ambitious: help brands gain faster visibili

August 28, 2026