An efficient regulatory framework is a pre-requisite for developing a services market that supports competitiveness and offers opportunities for export diversification. Creating such a framework requires a comprehensive understanding of the laws, regulations, and practices affecting trade and investment in services currently in place.
This study provides a background on the state of the financial services sector in the Philippines; identifies the key issues related to its further development or deepening in order to meet the needs of consumers and businesses; analyzes the regulatory issues that impede its further development/deepening; and proposes reforms to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens in the sector, in particular by highlighting the role of trade and investment agreements in helping to bring about necessary domestic regulatory reforms.
