PH records $2.1B BOP deficit in April 2026

The Philippines posted another wide balance of payments (BOP) deficit in April 2026, data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

The BOP position stood at a $2.1-billion deficit in April, It was a $2.6-billion deficit in March.

This brought the cumulative BOP position to a US$7.4 billion deficit for the January-April 2026 period, the central bank said.

Meanwhile, the country's gross international reserves (GIR) settled at US$104.3 billion as of end-April 2026.

"This level provides a robust external liquidity buffer, equivalent to 6.9 months' worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income. It covers about 3.8 times the country's short-term external debt based on residual maturity," BSP said.

GIR are made up of foreign-denominated securities, foreign exchange, and other assets including gold. GIR help ensure sufficient dollar liquidity to meet the country’s import needs and foreign debt obligations, address currency volatility, and provide a buffer against external economic shocks. —LDF, GMA News