Management Service Fees: The Most Challenged Area in Transfer Pricing
Does your business pay management fees to a foreign affiliate or the other way around? Well, a Bureau of Internal Revenue audit would not just be a “maybe” anymore — it is a matter of when. Across all forms of related-party transactions with regard to transfer pricing, management service fees stand out as the most […]
Lunch and Learn: What You Need to Know on AI in Accounting
The accounting profession is evolving fast, and those who don’t adapt risk being left behind. At the recent “Lunch and Learn: AI in Accounting” event, accounting and business professionals gathered around one clear message: Artificial Intelligence is no longer optional. Hosted by Babylon2k’s trusted partners, UHY M.L. Aguirre & Co., CPAs, and WorkSync Opium Solutions […]
Bill to Abolish Travel Tax Started: What You Need to Know
Are you tired of paying extra fees every time you book an international flight? Here’s what you need to know. On March 16, the House of Representatives voted to abolish the travel tax, with 257 lawmakers approving House Bill No. 8464. If passed into law, this would eliminate a long-standing fee that travelers currently pay […]
13th Foreign Investment Negative List: A Guide for Foreign Investors
On April 13, 2026, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. signed the 13th Regular Foreign Investment Negative List (RFINL), updating the regulatory framework for foreign ownership limitations in the Philippines. Foreign investors — whether forming a new entity, entering a joint venture, or expanding existing operations – should familiarize themselves with its provisions. Why is there a […]
Peso Pressure and Profit Planning: Inflation in the Philippines
Every time the Philippine peso weakens against the US dollar, the strain on Filipino consumers and businesses deepens. Fuel surcharges climb, import costs rise, and invoices swell; many business owners only feel the full impact later, when their cash flow statement tells a story no one wanted to read. As of March 2026, the Philippine […]
BSP Drafts Rules Against the Easy Digital Banking Scheme
The Shortcut to Digital Banking Is Closing For several years, there has been a somewhat secretive shortcut in the Philippine banking sector. Instead of complying as a full digital bank, which requires at least ₱1 billion in capital, some FinTech companies took a faster, much more affordable approach: acquiring rural banks and placing digital platforms […]
Intercompany Agreements in the Philippines: Risk of Boilerplate Contracts
Nowadays, numerous companies are related to one another — transacting with each other every day, sharing in management costs, engaging in lending or financing activities, providing services, licensing intellectual property, and other means to help each other in their business operations. However, if such intercompany agreements in the Philippines were simply downloaded from whatever source […]
The New Role of Auditors in an AI-Driven Financial Environment
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now becoming entrenched in business operations — from financial transactions to risk assessments, compliance, and reporting. Today, 90% of financial institutions use AI to detect fraud(2) in real time, and 93% of financial organizations believe AI will fundamentally transform how fraud detection is done(9). Yet despite this, U.S. consumers lost over […]
Excise Tax Suspension on Fuel in the Philippines Explained
A New Tool to Combat Rising Fuel Costs As previously discussed in our article regarding the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, the global prices of fuel indeed continue to fluctuate. Several businesses and most of the consumers are carrying the weight of the burden because of its domino effect on transportation, logistics, and […]
Security Will Define the Winners: Inside BSP’s Cybersecurity Push
A New Cybersecurity Proposed Mandate from the BSP With the many advancements in technology, cyberthreats are no longer considered distant risks. The reality is that therein exists an inherent exposure to imminent danger. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has recently proposed a mandatory Cybersecurity Control Self-Assessment (CCSA) for financial institutions, which marks a major […]