TOKYO -- Growing nations like Malaysia need different trade protections and, while Kuala Lumpur is not against trade pacts such as the Trans Pacific Partnership, the TPP must be renegotiated, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Monday.

A UNIT of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) has completed the acquisition of a 49% stake in Vietnamese company that will allow its expansion into the Southeast Asian country’s industrial water concessions, the listed company told the stock exchange on Monday.

MORE WOMEN are earning their wings now, not as Victoria’s Secret fashion models but as pilots. Flight school Alpha Aviation Group (AAG) in Clark, Pampanga is saying it is preparing to train more women to become pilots.

PROPERTY DEVELOPER and construction firm D.M. Wenceslao & Associates, Inc. (DMWAI) has priced its initial public offering (IPO) at a discount, which analysts said would make the offer more attractive to investors given the persistent volatility in the stock market.

THE GOVERNMENT partially awarded the Treasury bills (T-bill) it offered on Monday to temper the rise in rates as yields bid by banks climbed across all tenors amid slower-than-expected inflation.

BANKS SECURED bigger loans under the central bank’s peso rediscount window in May to fund more commercial lending and asset purchases at a time of higher borrowing costs.

THE GOVERNMENT will let the comprehensive tax reform proposals run their course first before studying the possibility of a lower value-added tax (VAT) rate, the Budget secretary said.

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) has empowered the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to regulate fares charged by transport network companies (TNCs) and transport network vehicle services (TNVS).

A CENTRAL BANK official has downplayed calls for a fresh hike in benchmark interest rates in the face of faster inflation, arguing such a move will not arrest supply-driven pressures.

GROUPS looking to vie for the distinction of becoming the Philippines’ third major telecommunications service provider likely face tougher financial and technical requirements, according to departments overseeing the process.

FRANKFURT -- Tightening policy by a notch just one day apart, the world’s top two central banks will hope to signal confidence in global economic growth, despite risks of a trade war, currency swings and political turbulence.

YIELDS ON Treasury bills (T-bills) on offer today are seen to move sideways, after the government’s offering of retail bonds attracted strong demand last week.