BPI Wealth assets breach P2 trillion, eyes 18% growth

MANILA, Philippines — The asset management arm of Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) expects its assets under management to grow by as much as 18 percent this year as Filipino investors increasingly turn to fixed-income securities and global investment funds to navigate elevated inflation, a weaker peso and volatile financial markets.

BPI Wealth president and CEO Maria Theresa Marcial said the firm’s assets under management (AUM), or the total value of investments it oversees on behalf of clients, reached P2.06 trillion as of end-June, around five percent higher than the P1.95 trillion as of end-March.

Marcial said BPI Wealth expects AUM to expand by 17 to 18 percent by the end of 2026, with the company looking to sustain double-digit growth next year and over the medium term.

“As we have done in the prior years, we’re typically looking at a range of 15 to 20 percent AUM growth,” she said during the launch of BPI’s Wealth Wellness Month.

Marcial said the increase in managed assets reflects both fresh investments from clients and gains in the value of their existing portfolios.

In terms of investment flows, she said fixed-income instruments and diversified global funds have attracted significant interest during the first seven to eight months of the year.

Products that provide regular income distributions have also become increasingly popular among investors seeking returns amid higher interest rates and persistent inflation.

“Rates have been going up because of higher inflation and we’re seeing weaker peso. So we see more and more Filipinos diversifying into global portfolios,” Marcial said.

BPI Wealth has expanded its lineup of peso-denominated investment products that provide exposure to overseas markets, allowing Filipinos to invest internationally without first purchasing foreign currency.

These include peso share classes of its Global Income Fund, World Technology Fund and Global Equity Fund of Funds, which were introduced over the past 12 months.

Marcial said the company has recorded encouraging net inflows into these products, reflecting growing demand for investment opportunities beyond the domestic market.

BPI Wealth chief investment officer Luis Antonio Zialcita said offshore investments now account for roughly 15 to 20 percent of the company’s total AUM, reflecting increased interest in international diversification.

Zialcita said investors have become more inclined to build portfolios across different asset classes and markets, particularly as investment options have expanded significantly over the past two decades.

Meanwhile, BPI Wealth is also expanding its customer base as investment products become accessible to a broader segment of the population.

Marcial said the company currently serves approximately 1.5 million customers, with more than one million belonging to its digitally served retail segment, including investors reached through third-party platforms such as GCash and Maya.

Another 200,000 to 300,000 customers belong to the retail and mass-affluent segments, which Marcial identified as among the company’s fastest-growing customer groups.

BPI Wealth is also expanding its private wealth business by reaching younger generations of affluent families and attracting new high-net-worth clients.