MANILA, Philippines – Maybank Philippines recently hosted an economic briefing, with three guest economic experts’ equally upbeat insights within their respective fields.
Maybank Exchange and Economic Forum guest economic experts Dr. Cielito Habito, Mr. John Lagman, and Mr. Suhaimi Ilias with Maybank Philippines PCEO Choong Wai Hong (leftmost) and Maybank Philippines Chairman Dato’ Dr. Tan Tat Wai *rightmost).
Maybank Group Chief Economist Suhaimi Ilias provided his outlook on global and local interest rates, highlighting a total of 0.75% increase in US Fed Funds Target Rate and a total of 0.50% hike on BSP’s policy rate through 2018, however remained optimistic on Philippine growth story, which he expect to outperform its ASEAN peers.
John Lagman, a Foreign Exchange Market Specialist from Bloomberg for Southeast Asia, shared his optimistic insights on Asian currencies performance, in spite of being a volatile year for most Asian currencies, impacted by regional and global concerns.
Dr. Cielito Habito, carried a specific storyline at the economic briefing with positive sub-headlines for the Philippines:
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- The economy has been on a roll.
- Investment has been surging; manufacturing, trade & tourism have been picking up.
- Inclusive growth is finally happening.
- Downside risks need to be watched.
- We need to be forward-looking.
Dato’ Dr. Tan Tat Wai, Chairman of Maybank Philippines Inc., who led Maybank executives in his welcome remarks before corporate clients, business leaders, decision makers, and corporate analysts, emphasized:
“In the 20 years that Maybank has been in the Philippines, we have stayed committed and grew with you. Our commitment to the Philippines is not just in banking. We are a bank that is at the heart of the community and serving the needs of our customers. We are committed to the country, to its leaders, and to the Filipino people.”
Choong Wai Hong, Maybank Philippines President and CEO closed the economic briefing with an encouraging note:
“Maybank Philippines presents its entire organization of 74 branches around the country as your lynch pin for direct communication, financial support, relevant partnership, and fellow advocate in all your endeavors. Let us be partners for change in fuelling the Philippine economy for its leadership in Asia!”
The economic briefing is a flagship event of Maybank Philippines 20th anniversary of operations. It is a testament to MPI’s commitment to its mission of “Humanizing financial services” by being at the forefront in providing timely and relevant business analyses and economic forecasts to its clients in the corporate, global markets, investment, commercial, and retail segments.
ADVT