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Bank of Philippine Islands
- Sector: Financial Services
- Sub Sector: Banks
- Country: Philippines
Fundamental View
AS OF 10 Mar 2025Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is the 3rd largest bank in the Philippines by assets.
We view the bank as too big to fail given its systemic importance in the country. There is also a strong probability of support from the government in addition to its main shareholder, the Ayala Corporation if needed.
BPI has a long history, and we view it as a fundamentally sound bank with strong and improved profitability, and comfortable liquidity. Capital management however has become less conservative, and while asset quality is relatively well managed, we are keeping an eye on strong growth in the non-wholesale book.
Business Description
AS OF 10 Mar 2025- The history of the Bank of the Philippine Islands traces back to 1851. It is the oldest bank in the Philippines and South East Asia. It was first listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange in 1971, and became a universal bank in 1982.
- Ayala Corporation, one of the biggest conglomerates in the country, became BPI's dominant shareholder in 1969. Ayala Corp still holds a 49% stake in the bank.
- BPI has been acquisitive across the years. It merged with Far East Bank and Trust Company and acquired Ayala Insurance Holdings Corp in 2000. It acquired DBS Bank Philippines in 2001 and Prudential Bank Philippines in 2005. DBS was a shareholder of BPI but exited its position in 2013. More recently in January 2024, it completed the acquisition of the Gokongwei conglomerate's Robinsons Bank.
- The bank is predominantly a corporate bank with 72% of its loan book outstanding to corporates, and the balance to MSME and retail as of 4Q24. The longer term target is to grow the retail and SME segment to a 30% share of loans.
Risk & Catalysts
AS OF 10 Mar 2025Any rating downgrade of the Philippine sovereign would have a negative impact on BPI.
BPI is focusing on unsecured retail and MSME growth, which has put pressure on asset quality and reduced capital buffers, and provision reserves have also been pared down. We see risks to asset quality from the strategy, but BPI’s large corporates-focused book (72% of total loans) provide comfort and provisioning capacity is strong.
The declining rate environment as rate cuts come through will adversely impact NIMs, but management expects to maintain a flattish FY25 NIM, supported by RRR reductions and a continued pivot towards better yielding retail/MSME.
The acquisition of Robinsons Bank was completed on 1 January 2024, and it opens BPI up to new customer segments such as teachers and motorcycle loans. The current footprint is small but we are wary of the brisk intended growth.
Key Metric
AS OF 10 Mar 2025| PHP mn | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PPP ROA | 2.42% | 2.01% | 2.41% | 2.52% | 2.78% |
| Reported ROA (Cumulative) | 0.98% | 1.10% | 1.59% | 1.93% | 1.98% |
| Reported ROE (Cumulative) | 7.7% | 8.4% | 13.1% | 15.4% | 15.1% |
| Net Interest Margin | 3.49% | 3.30% | 3.59% | 4.09% | 4.31% |
| CET1 Ratio | 16.2% | 15.8% | 15.1% | 15.3% | 13.8% |
| Total Equity/Total Assets | 12.5% | 12.1% | 12.2% | 12.4% | n/m |
| NPL Ratio | 2.68% | 2.49% | 1.76% | 1.84% | 2.13% |
| Provisions/Loans | 1.94% | 0.91% | 0.58% | 0.22% | n/m |
| Liquidity Coverage Ratio | 232% | 221% | 195% | 207% | 159% |
| Net Stable Funding Ratio | 154% | 155% | 149% | 154% | 146% |
CreditSight View Comment
AS OF 10 Mar 2025BPI is the third largest bank in the Philippines with a long history. Its traditionally conservative approach has led to a loss of loan market share in the past, as well as a lower NIM than BDO and MBT. Recent brisk expansion in higher yielding retail and MSME loans has strongly improved profitability levels, and while asset quality slipped with the loan mix shift, it remains acceptable. However, are watchful of risks from the strong growth in the non-wholesale book given that capital buffers and provision reserves have been pared down. Still, we remain overall comfortable with BPI given the large corporate book (73% of loans) and underwriting record, and strong provisioning capacity and comfortable liquidity. We have BPI on O/P as we think it should trade at least flat to MBT.
Recommendation Reviewed: March 10, 2025
Recommendation Changed: March 03, 2025
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