The country placed second out of 54 countries that exhibit investor-friendly relations and practices this year, down from its first rank in 2024, according to the "2025 Investor Relations and Debt Transparency Report" by the Institute of International Finance (IIF).

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) shared this on Monday, stressing that the Philippines obtained a nearly perfect score for investor relations practices at 49.3 out of 50, higher than the 48.9 last year.

However, Indonesia, with a slightly higher score of 49.4, was ranked first this year by the Washington-based global association of the financial industry. The IIF has some 400 members from 60 countries.

BSP commitment

"The BSP remains committed to working with the government to further improve the country’s investor relations through enhanced dialogues with creditors and continuous data transparency," said BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr.

IIF said improvements in investor relations practices help encourage creditors to grant more affordable interest rates to borrowers, ensuring their continuous implementation of projects toward resilient economies amid Trump tariffs and geopolitical tensions.

"Enhancing the flow of information available to both private and public creditors — including credit rating agencies and international financial institutions — is becoming increasingly critical for debtor countries to improve market access and strengthen their resilience to market volatility, including trade tensions," IIF said.

High ranking

The BSP said the country secured the high ranking in investor relations after it conducted regular roadshows, investor briefings, and specially-arranged meetings with investors, and presentations communicated in easily comprehensible ways. The Central Bank added it eased and updated online information relevant to the global investor community.

Aside from investor relations, the IIF also assessed countries' debt transparency and environmental, social and governance (ESG) data and policy dissemination.

The Philippines ranked third in debt transparency, posting a score of 12.3 out of 13.

The top two ranks were secured by Türkiye and Indonesia, achieving a score of 12.8 and 12.4, respectively.

Better debt transparency

IIF said better debt transparency scores could further help developing economies like the Philippines raise more capital for government projects as global data have shown mostly increasing productivity among such countries in Asia.

"Robust investor relations, paired with transparent debt data and policy disclosures, can help counter the entrenched negative narrative surrounding emerging markets and developing economies. They remain heavily underrepresented in global investment portfolios relative to their share in the global economy," IIF said.