FILIPINO investors are looking beyond the domestic market amid a weaker peso, elevated inflation and continued financial market uncertainty.
“[R]ates have been going up because of higher inflation, and we’re seeing weaker peso,” BPI Wealth President and CEO Maria Theresa Marcial said on Wednesday.
“So we see more and more Filipinos diversifying into global portfolios.”
Consumer price growth has remained elevated, mainly due to the Middle East conflict that has pushed oil prices higher and added to domestic price pressures.
Global uncertainties have also weighed on the peso, which has fallen to record lows and remains in P62-to-the-dollar territory.
Marcial said BPI Wealth was seeing stronger flows into global investment products, particularly bonds and income-paying funds, as well as equities.
BPI Wealth Chief Investment Officer Luis Antonio Zialcita said the increased interest in offshore assets did not mean Filipino investors were abandoning the domestic market.
He said investors were increasingly building diversified portfolios that combine domestic and international assets depending on their investment objectives and risk tolerance.
Around 15 percent to 20 percent of assets under management (AUM) were currently invested in offshore assets, reflecting the growing appetite for global exposure, Zialcita said.
Still, he said there were still opportunities in the Philippine market.
Zialcita noted that Philippine stock valuations had become very low, which could provide opportunities for investors willing to take on equity-market risks.
“So again, it goes back to a fully diversified portfolio and not simply focusing on just one asset class or one security,” he said.
Marcial said BPI Wealth’s business was continuing to grow despite headwinds, with AUM up by around 14 percent to 15 percent year to date.
For 2027, BPI Wealth is targeting AUM growth of between 15 percent and 20 percent, consistent with the range pursued in previous years.
“Despite the volatility in the market, what we have been espousing is for investors to continue with their investment path,” Marcial said.
“Regardless of the goal, whether it’s building for the family, or investing for retirement, or funding education and funding other lifestyle needs, people will have to continue to invest,” she added.
