Philippine banks' solid profitability and capitalization compared to regional peers should somewhat mitigate dampened credit growth, S&P Global Ratings said in a Tuesday release.
In S&P's stress test scenario of nonperforming loans (NPLs) doubling from 2025 levels, common equity tier-one ratios of the country's banks would continue to exceed minimum requirements even with greatly reduced earnings.
Some midsize lenders are more exposed compared with the largest ones given increased holdings of riskier segments, according to S&P analyst Nikita Anand.
S&P sees two midsize banks recording a pretax loss under a severe stress case.
The rating agency forecasts higher NPLs for riskier segments, given higher living costs and unemployment for lower-income families and small and midsize businesses.
Weaker household incomes and reduced credit growth could prompt loan ratios to rise to 7% from 5.6% in June, S&P said.
Stability will hinge on banks' capacity to handle rising credit costs and the greater portion of riskier unsecured loans in their portfolios, Anand said.