The Philippines remains attractive to global investors, but turning that interest into actual projects will require faster execution and closer coordination between government and business, HSBC Philippines said.

The bank raised the issue during its third annual Flagship Business Summit, “Philippines Forward: Building the Future, Accelerating Growth,” which gathered about 500 business leaders, government officials, clients and other stakeholders in Taguig.

Discussions focused on investment opportunities that could move forward within the next six to 12 months, amid stronger competition among countries for increasingly selective global capital.

Priya Kini, HSBC managing director and head of Banking, International Markets, Asia, said investors are looking beyond opportunities and increasingly assessing how quickly projects can become financeable.

“Global Multinationals and International investors are asking how quickly opportunities in the Philippines can turn into projects they are able to finance,” Kini said. “Our role is to connect them to those opportunities and to the people who can move them forward. We are well placed to do that through our network across Asia and internationally.”

The summit highlighted public-private partnerships as a key mechanism for bringing foreign and domestic funding into major projects. Speakers also pointed to economic liberalization and efforts to improve ease of doing business as factors that could help attract and retain investments.

HSBC Chief Asia Economist and Co-Head of Global Research Asia Frederic Neumann provided a global economic outlook, followed by a panel on sectors with strong investment potential and the policy, infrastructure and regulatory support needed to unlock them.

Joining the discussion were HSBC Philippines CEO and head of Banking Sandeep Uppal, Accenture country manager Ambe Tierro and RFM Corp. president and CEO Jose Maria “Joey” Concepcion.

“Our clients around the world can see the investment case for the Philippines. What they are asking for is a clearer path from interest to projects they can commit to,” Uppal said.

HSBC said it intends to continue supporting investment in the country, where it has operated for 151 years.