Financial system resources expand to P36 trillion

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

March 22, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The total resources of the Philippine financial system rose to P36.33 trillion as of end-January, reflecting continued expansion in bank and non-bank balance sheets, based on preliminary data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The latest figure marked a 7.3-percent increase from P33.86 trillion in January 2025, underscoring sustained growth in deposits, loans and investments across the financial sector.

Banks continued to dominate the system, with total resources climbing by 7.7 percent to P30.1 trillion in January from P27.95 trillion a year ago. This accounted for the bulk of overall financial system assets, consistent with the sector’s structure where banks hold the largest share of funds and credit intermediation.

Broken down, universal and commercial banks held the lion’s share at P27.9 trillion, rising by 6.7 percent from P26.14 trillion in the same month last year. These big banks remained the primary drivers of asset growth, supported by steady lending activity and stable funding conditions.

Thrift banks also sustained rapid growth, with resources jumping by 25.9 percent to P1.46 trillion from P1.16 trillion previously, signaling stronger activity among mid-sized lenders.

Digital banks posted one of the fastest expansions, with total resources reaching P174.7 billion, 39.8 percent higher than P125 billion a year earlier.

Rural and cooperative banks, for their part, saw resources inch up by 7.2 percent to P565 billion as of January from P527.1 billion.

On the other hand, non-bank financial institutions recorded total resources of P6.23 trillion, expanding by 5.2 percent from P5.92 trillion a year prior. These include investment houses, financing and investment companies, securities dealers and brokers, pawnshops and lending investors.

The data on non-bank financial institutions are reported on a quarterly basis and are therefore available only up to end-September 2025, or one quarter behind the year-end banking data.

The continued growth in financial system resources highlights the sector’s capacity to support economic activity through lending and investment channels.

Overall, the January data indicate that the Philippine financial system remains on a firm growth trajectory, with both traditional banks and emerging digital players contributing to the expansion.