Category: Oxford Business Group

BDO Unibank, Inc. signs MOU with Oxford Business Group

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The key part that rising competitiveness in the Philippines and the country’s improved business climate are playing in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) will be explored in a forthcoming report to be produced by the global publishing firm, Oxford Business Group (OBG).

The Report: The Philippines 2015 will shine the spotlight on the economic sectors that look likely to gain from higher investment inflows, such as manufacturing and information technology. The publication will also provide updates on the country’s major infrastructure projects which are heightening economic activity, especially across the construction industry.

BDO Unibank, Inc. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the second year on research with OBG for its forthcoming report. Under the MOU, OBG will have access to the bank’s resources, which will be used to compile the Capital Markets Chapter of The Report: The Philippines 2015.

Regional Editor, Paulius Kuncinas, said the Group had noted in its recent research that the Philippines was gaining ground on its neighbors when it came to attracting FDI.

“Investors have, in particular, noticed the increasing capabilities of the country’s workforce, while the Philippines’ political and economic stability remains a plus,” he said. “We expect public-private partnership projects to drive foreign investment in the coming years as the country moves to roll out its public works and address the Philippines’ housing shortage.”

Eduardo Francisco, President of BDO Capital Corporation & Investment at BDO Unibank, Inc. added that topical issues related to the ASEAN Economic Community, such as the integration of the financial markets, would be looked at in detail with OBG.

“Our first year of partnership with Oxford Business Group highlighted the added dimension that ASEAN integration will bring to the markets,” he said. “I look forward to exploring this further, as full integration draws nearer, and providing investors with key data they can use in their decision-making, including analysis of new products and services from the Philippine Stock Exchange.”

With the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Regional Summit set to take place in Manila next year, OBG’s Editorial Manager, Rodrigo Diaz, said the Philippines could expect to garner a higher profile as an international investment destination over the coming months.

“Full ASEAN integration and the APEC summit should both boost the Philippines’ competitiveness, helping the country to build on its strong macroeconomic fundamentals and steady GDP growth,” he said. “I am delighted that our team will benefit once again from BDO Unibank, Inc’s expertise as we plot the next phase of the country’s economic development.”

The Report: The Philippines 2015 will be a vital guide to the many facets of the country, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and other sectoral developments. It will contain interviews with leading national and international representatives, including Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida and the US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. The publication will be available in print or online.

Oxford Business Group signs Memorandum of Understanding with Punongbayan & Araullo

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Mailene S. Sigue-Bisnar Partner at Punongbayan & Araullo, Ma. Victoria C. Españo Chairperson & CEO at Punongbayan & Araullo and Marcela Palma-Barahona Country Director of The Philippines at Oxford Business Group

The Philippines’ impressive growth story, which helped the country earn three credit rating upgrades last year, will be given wide-ranging analysis in a forthcoming report to be produced by the global publishing firm, Oxford Business Group.

The Report: The Philippines 2015 will look in detail at how a mix of public and private investment, together with strong domestic demand, led to the Philippines’ economy expanding by 7.25% in 2013, despite the devastation wreaked by Typhoon Haiyan late in the year. The publication will also shine the spotlight on the country’s tax framework, highlighting, in particular, the incentives being made available to investors at the Philippines’ special economic zones.

OBG has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on research facilities for a fifth year with the professional services firm, Punongbayan & Araullo (P&A), for its new country report. Under the MOU, OBG will have access to the firm’s resources, which will be used to compile the Tax Chapter of The Report: The Philippines 2015.

OBG’s Regional Director, Laura Herrero, said she was delighted that the Group’s team would once again benefit from P&A’s input.

“The Philippines is gaining a reputation as a prime investment destination on the back of its strong macroeconomic fundamentals and impressive growth story,” she said. “I’m thrilled that Punongbayan & Araullo will once again play a part in our research and support us in providing investors with valuable insights into the country’s tax environment.”

Commenting on the long-standing partnership, P&A Chair and CEO Marivic Españo said, “We’re proud to be one of Oxford Business Group’s partners in providing potential investors with accurate, on-the-ground information about the local business environment, especially now when there is so much excitement about the Philippines’ growth opportunities. We’re confident that once again, OBG will be able to paint a clear, comprehensive picture of the country’s investment climate, and will therefore encourage more people to come see what the Philippines has to offer.”

OBG’s Country Director, Marcela Palma-Barahona, added that new investment opportunities emerging in the Philippines, together with the fast-approaching date for ASEAN integration, would be focal points of the Group’s forthcoming report.

“FDI inflows rose significantly last year, while public-private partnership projects for infrastructure development, together with post-Typhoon Haiyan reconstruction work, will generate plenty of new interest in the Philippines,” she said. “With so much change on the horizon, I am delighted that Punongbayan & Araullo’s team will once again bring their expertise to the table, as we begin researching this exciting new project.”

The Report: The Philippines 2015 will be a vital guide to the many facets of the country, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and other sectoral developments. The publication will be available in print or online.

Oxford Business Group Partners with De La Salle University in Global Academic Programme Initiative

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Oxford Business Group (OBG), the global publishing, research and consultancy firm, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business (RVR-COB) at De La Salle University (DLSU).

Under the agreement, students and faculty staff at the college will be given a university subscription; which offers online access to OBG’s full library of business reports on over 35 emerging markets, and more than 22,000 original articles from over 20 years of primary research, searchable by keyword.

OBG’s Country Director, Lauren Denny, said “The Group’s collaboration with DLSU is part of OBG’s larger Academic Programme initiative to develop relationships with key universities around the world. Students and academics are using OBG as a key source for their dissertations and lectures, and OBG’s offer underlines our commitment to invest in the future leaders of business, investment and academia.

“Improving education is high on the agenda of President Benigno S. Aquino’s government, and we look forward to supporting the country’s bid to put education at the forefront of its development by sharing our business intelligence with the students and academics who are playing a role in shaping the country’s future.”

The President and Chancellor of DLSU, Brother Ricardo Laguda, said he was confident the university’s students and staff would benefit from having access to OBG’s library of reports.

“De La Salle University has worked closely with Oxford Business Group over the past years, contributing to its research on the Philippines’ economy and education sector specifically,” he said. “This new agreement will make an extensive bank of data available on a wide range of emerging markets in one location, which will prove useful to our students and staff, both now and in the future.”

Professor Maria Andrea L. Santiago, the Dean of the RVR-COB, added that with education earmarked for a key role in the country’s ‘inclusive growth’ programme, all eyes were on educational institutions in bringing through the country’s next generation of public and private sector decision-makers.

“As a higher-education training hub, De La Salle University attaches huge importance to research,” she said. “Any move that takes our collaboration with Oxford Business Group up a level can only be positive for the university and its students who will, I’m sure, relish the opportunity to draw on this rich resource.”

OBG currently partners with more than 60 universities and business schools worldwide as part of the programme, providing more than 10,000 students with access to its data. Locally, OBG is also engaging with Centro Escolar University, Jose Rizal University, National University, Philippine Christian University, University of the East, and will continue to reach out to the leading tertiary institutions in the Philippines.

OBG produces annual investment and economic reports on more than 35 emerging markets across the globe. The Report: The Philippines 2014, which marks the Group’s fifth anniversary publication on the country, will be published later this year with research assistance from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Makati Business Club, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Banco De Oro Unibank, SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan and Punongbayan & Araullo.

It will include a chapter on the country’s education sector, while also focusing on the many other facets of the country, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and other sectoral developments. The publication will be available in print or online.