BIZ BUZZ: Metrobank still ‘strongest bank’ in PH

Perhaps consistency is truly the key to excellence.

In the case of Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank), this strategy worked for four consecutive years as it again bagged the Strongest Bank in the Philippines title at The Asian Banker Global 2024 Finance Awards.

The Ty family-led bank, also the country’s third largest private bank in terms of assets, bested other financial institutions based on the following criteria: ability to scale, balance sheet growth, risk profile, profitability, asset quality and liquidity.

“This award recognizes what a bank should be: strong, stable and resilient—focused first and foremost on upholding the trust of our customers,” Metrobank financial markets sector head Antonio Fernand Tansingco said in a statement.

Based on the bank’s nine-month performance in 2024, it seems, indeed, to be deserving of the recognition.

Analysts have said that Metrobank is poised for another banner year as its bottom line expanded by 12.4 percent to P35.7 billion. This is already 85 percent of its full-year net income of P42.2 billion in 2023.

It’s not just that: Metrobank has also been consistently recognized by The Asian Banker.

Earlier this year, it was also named the Most Recommended Retail Bank in the Philippines based on feedback from 12,000 customers across Asia.

Will it be strong enough to rise up the ranks in 2025?—Meg J. Adonis

OFWs fight scams, too

Scammers don’t seem to mind if you’re based elsewhere.

In fact, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) also found themselves receiving that familiar, sketchy text message with a link they’re forcing you to click.

While we’re all too familiar, and perhaps already numb, with this scheme, telecommunications giant PLDT Inc. points out that our OFW loved ones need the extra push.

In its recent #BeCyberSmart talk for OFWs at the Department of Migrant Works, PLDT taught them about “internet hygiene”—it doesn’t involve soap and water, but it does involve “cleaning up.”

Participants learned about securing their data and spotting scams, including phishing and vishing attacks that can steal their money.

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“We hope to educate OFWs through this seminar so that we can help them protect themselves and their family members from internet scams and, at the same time, empower them with the knowledge to navigate the online world safely and responsibly,” PLDT Global president and CEO Albert Villa-Real said in a statement.

Let’s hope that we can somehow put a rest to these scammers by ignoring and reporting them. —Meg J. Adonis