BOP swings to $5.66 billion deficit in 2025MANILA, Philippines — The country’s balance of payments (BOP) position swung to a deficit of $5.66 billion in 2025, a sharp reversal of the $609-million surplus recorded in 2024, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed. For December alone, the country posted a BOP deficit of $827 million, 45.2 percent better than the $1.51-billion shortfall recorded in the same month in 2024. The BOP is a record of the country’s transactions with the rest of the world for a specific period. The BOP position reflects a decrease in the final gross international reserves (GIR) level of $110.8 billion as of end-December, slightly lower than the $111.25-billion level as of end-November last year. It is also about 3.9 times the country’s short-term external debt based on residual maturity.

Source: Philippine Star January 20, 2026 16:12 UTC