UBS Shut Its Representative Office in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — UBS AG, a Swiss financial giant, has formally closed its representative office in the Philippines, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. This move is part of UBS's ongoing global effort to adapt to a changing financial landscape. Despite the shutdown, UBS continues involved in the nation through UBS Securities Philippines and UBS Investments Philippines, both of which are industry leaders.

“The Monetary Board, in its Resolution 1468 dated Dec. 19, 2024, noted the cessation of operations of the UBS AG Philippine Representative Office,” BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier wrote in Circular 2025-002, published on January 8. According to Fonacier, the Swiss bank made a “strategic move” with this choice.

Shift in Banking Strategy

Since its creation in 1996, the UBS representative office in Ayala Triangle, Makati City, has functioned as a hub for financial advising services. The shutdown, however, highlights UBS's larger strategic aspirations following its 2024 merger with Credit Suisse, which established UBS as Switzerland's largest banking corporation. Credit Suisse's assets, liabilities, and contracts were all integrated into UBS AG as part of the merger.

This action is consistent with an increasing trend of multinational banks shutting representative offices in the Philippines. Recent closures include the Bank of New York Mellon in 2023, the Wells Fargo National Association in 2021, and the Korea Development Bank in 2020.

Remaining Foreign Banks in the Philippines

With the closing of UBS AG, just eight international banks maintain representative offices in the Philippines. Some examples are:

• The Bank of Singapore Limited. Philippines
• Bank of Taiwan
• DBS Bank Ltd.
• The Japan Bank for International Cooperation
• Korea Eximbank
• Rothschild (Singapore) Ltd.
• The Indian State
• Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank LTD.

The BSP allows representative offices to tell customers about their services or goods. However, they are not permitted to engage in basic banking operations such as deposit acceptance, letter of credit issuance, or foreign currency trading.

Final Thought

The closing of UBS AG's Philippine representative office exemplifies the rapidly shifting dynamics of the global banking sector. As financial institutions consolidate operations and retool strategies to meet new challenges, the Philippines remains a focus point for strategic changes. While the departure of big firms such as UBS signifies change, the ongoing presence of international banks indicates that the Philippines remains an important component of global financial networks.