Philippines FDI rises 30%, bucks global decline

Foreign direct investments (FDI) to the Philippines rose by almost 30% in 2020, reaching $6.4 billion from $5 billion in 2019.

This growth contrasts with a global decline of 42%, primarily due to investment declines among developed countries.

Southeast Asian FDI declined by 31% to $107 billion, mainly affected by decreases in Singapore and Indonesia.

The International Institute of Finance (IIF) believes the worst is over for Philippine FDI flows but expects them to remain low at around $7 billion in 2021.

FDI net inflows decreased by a quarter to $423 million in October compared to $561 million in the same period in 2019, with total FDI flows slipping by 10% for the first ten months of 2020.