The Philippines has a comprehensive banking system encompassing various types of banks, from large universal banks to small rural banks and even non-banks. As of September 30, 2022, [1] there were forty-five (45) universal and commercial banks, [2] forty-four (44) savings banks, [3] four hundred (400) rural and cooperative banks, [4] forty (40) credit unions and 6,267 non-banks with quasi-banking functions, all licensed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines) under the General Banking Act of 2000. [5]
On top of regular banking services offered by universal, commercial, thrift and rural banks, there are savings and loan associations which are mainly based in communities and among retirees in the armed forces and the police organization and other employees of the government of the Philippines. Prominent among these small savings services is the Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loan Association, Inc. (AFPSLAI), which is exclusive to active servicemen and retirees of the armed forces in the Philippines. [6]
Source: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas [7]
The Bank of the Philippine Islands is a universal bank in the Philippines. It is the first bank in both the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is the fourth largest bank in terms of assets, the second largest bank in terms of market capitalization, and one of the most profitable banks in the Philippines.
BancNet is a Philippine-based interbank network connecting the ATM networks of local and offshore banks, and the country's single interbank network in the Philippines in terms of the number of member banks and annual transactions. Due to its status as the country's single ATM switch operator, it is designated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as the country's national ATM network.
BDO Unibank, Inc., commonly known as Banco de Oro (BDO), is a Philippine banking company based in Mandaluyong. In terms of total assets, the firm is the largest bank in the Philippines and 15th largest in Southeast Asia as of March 31, 2016. BDO Unibank is also a member of SM Group. It is also the largest bank in the country by market capitalization.
The Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company, commonly known as Metrobank, is the fourth largest bank in the Philippines. It offers various financial services, from regular banking to insurance. It is the commercial and retail banking arm of GT Capital Holdings Inc.
Equitable PCI Bank, Inc. was one of the largest banks in the Philippines, being the third-largest bank in terms of assets. It was the largest bank before it was overtaken by Metrobank in 1995. It is the result of the merger of Equitable Banking Corporation and Philippine Commercial International Bank or PCIBank. It was known for a wide range of services from savings to insurance and, through its wholly owned subsidiary Equitable Card Network, was the largest Philippine credit card issuer. The bank merged with Banco de Oro Universal Bank in early 2007, and is now branded as BDO as its new identity as part of the new Banco de Oro Unibank, Inc.
MegaLink is a Philippine-based developer of mobile and banking software as well as a service provider for banks, specifically for Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) networks and point of sale systems for banks. From its establishment in 1989 until 2015, it has pioneered in the interconnectivity of several banks in the country by being the first Interbank Network with different banks as its members.
The Union Bank of the Philippines, Inc., more commonly known as UnionBank, is one of the universal banks in the Philippines and the ninth largest bank in the country by assets.
The Banco de Oro-Equitable PCI Bank merger (2004–2006) was a plan by the SM Group of Companies and Banco de Oro Universal Bank, the then fifth-largest bank in the Philippines, to merge with Equitable PCI Bank, the third-largest bank. The merger was part of a long-term goal of Banco de Oro to become one of the largest names in the Philippine banking industry. It closed on December 27, 2006, with the formation of Banco de Oro Unibank, Inc.
China Banking Corporation, commonly known as China Bank, is a Filipino bank established in 1920. It was the first privately owned local commercial bank in the Philippines initially catering to the banking needs of Chinese Filipino businesspeople. It offers various banking services and products related to deposit, investment, trust, cash management, remittance, and financing products and services. It also offers insurance brokerage and bancassurance services through its subsidiary and affiliates.
The Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, commonly known as RCBC, is one of the largest universal banks in the Philippines with total consolidated resources of Ph₱ 1.2 trillion. It was established in 1960 as a development bank and is licensed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for both commercial and investment banking. It is currently headquartered at RCBC Plaza in Makati, Metro Manila.
The Philippine Bank of Communications, more commonly known as PBCOM, is a universal bank in the Philippines. It was founded in 1939. The bank's headquarters, PBCom Tower, located in Makati, is the second-tallest building in the Philippines.
EastWest Bank, formally known as East West Banking Corporation, is the eleventh largest bank in the Philippines in terms of assets. It was founded in 1994 in Manila by the late tycoon, Andrew Gotianun and his wife. It is a member of the Filinvest Group, led by the Gotianun family. Its headquarter is at The Beaufort, a condominium building by Filinvest in Bonifacio Global City.
Export and Industry Bank (EIB), also known as Exportbank, was a commercial bank in the Philippines that operated between 1996 and 2012. It was closed in 2012 by the Central Bank of the Philippines as being insolvent.
BDO Network Bank, formerly known as One Network Bank (ONB), is a rural bank in the Philippines. Established in 2004 through the consolidation of Network Rural Bank of Davao del Sur, the Rural Bank of Panabo of Davao del Norte, and the Provident Rural Bank of Cotabato, ONB is the largest rural bank in the Philippines in terms of assets, with a network of 96 branches in Mindanao, 1 branch in Makati and province of Iloilo and a fleet of 135 ATMs throughout the provinces in Mindanao, including 17 localities where it is the sole provider of financial services.
Bank of Commerce, commonly known as BankCom, is a universal bank in the Philippines and licensed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). BankCom is the banking arm of diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC). It has a total network of 140 Branches and 260 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) located nationwide, as of December 31, 2020. As of 2022, BankCom is the fifteenth largest bank in the Philippines in terms of assets.
Nestor Aldave Espenilla Jr. was a Filipino banker who served as the fourth governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) from 2017 until his death in 2019. He began working for the BSP in 1981 and was a deputy governor under his predecessor Amando Tetangco Jr.
City Savings Bank, commonly known as CitySavings, is a thrift bank subsidiary of Union Bank of the Philippines and established in 1965, founded in Cebu City and also member of the Aboitiz Group of Companies. City Savings is regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Its corporate office is located at the UnionBank Plaza, Meralco Avenue corner Sapphire and Onyx Streets, Ortigas Center, Pasig, Metro Manila.
Digital banks in the Philippines are a new formal category of banks which were only approved by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the country's central bank, in 2020. The first such banks launched in the Philippines were Tonik, Overseas Filipino Bank, and UnionDigital of UnionBank Corp. Several more banks were approved by the BSP before 2021, when it announced that it would stop approving the establishment of further digital banks for three years, in order to strengthen the industry and assure healthy competition among its players.
In late 2021, at least 700 account holders of the Philippine bank Banco de Oro (BDO) lost their money through unauthorized bank transfers.