benjamin e diokno : fueling growth of fdis in the philippines - the bsp as an enabler speech by mr benjamin e diokno, governor of bangko sentral ng pilipinas ( bsp, the central bank of the philippines ), at the 5th joint economic briefing of the british chamber of commerce in the philippines, makati city, 19 june 2019. * * * friends, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. it is my pleasure to address this 5th joint economic briefing of the british chamber of commerce and the dutch, french, german, italian, and spanish chambers. the bsp always welcomes the opportunity to engage current and potential investors and to communicate bsp policy initiatives that impact the operating environment for businesses. while fueling growth of fdis is not the primary mandate of the bsp as a central bank, we are well - aware that achieving our core objectives of promoting price and financial stability contributes in promoting an investment - friendly philippines. it is from this perspective that i build on your conference topic, “ fueling the growth of fdis in the philippines. ” my presentation will focus on three areas : first, i will present developments on foreign direct investments ( fdis ) in the philippines and prospects moving forward. second, i will discuss the factors that influenced fdi inflows during the past decade. and third, i will present bsp initiatives that support the government ’ s overarching goal to further increase fdis. fdis in the philippines have been rising steadily since 2010. it reached record levels in 2017 and 2018, during which fdis averaged us $ 10 billion a year on the back of robust macroeconomic fundamentals as evidenced by sustained and accelerating economic growth. also serving as pull factors for fdis are the philippines ’ stable inflation, improved fiscal balance, and resilient external position. from january to march this year, the country attracted us $ 1. 9 billion in fdis. this is lower than the us $ 2. 3 billion recorded during the same period in 2018. this could be partly attributed to increased uncertainty over the us - china trade war, pre - mid - term election jitters, and the legislative proposal to rationalize tax incentives, among others. in the early 2000s, the biggest recipients of equity capital investment have been the manufacturing, real estate and financial intermediation sectors. during the past decade ( 2009 – 2018 ), however – finance and insurance as well as utilities – gained larger shares in

jorgovanka tabakovi : economic resilience in uncertain times - key challenges for serbia and the western balkans speech by dr jorgovanka tabakovi, governor of the national bank of serbia, at the 30th kopaonik business forum, kopaonik, 6 march 2023. * * * accompanying slides of the speech. esteemed members of the government, representatives of the diplomatic corps, members of the business community, fellow economists, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, there is no greater pleasure in life than being a friend to a friend. i would like you personally, as well as serbia, to boast as many people as possible who can say that they are a friend to a friend. i know that among you today there are many who can rightfully say so, and i know that you all received these identification cards : on the back is mastercard, whom i thank for the long - term successful cooperation with the kopaonik business forum. but my identification card is a little different through my intervention. please zoom in the dina card of banka postanska stedionica, which is owned by the state of serbia, and which, like all other banks, promotes the dina card, which is owned by the national bank of serbia, because serbia is something you love, something you work for and breathe for. that is why the dina card is worth the most. you can try it and see it for yourself, while we, with our friends from mastercard and visa, will continue to assure you that competition is the greatest benefit of modern society. a significant part of my address will be similar to that of my colleague and friend mr aleksandar vlahovi. the data are similar or almost the same, but the point of view is different. mr vlahovi speaks from the perspective of the academic community, professionals and economists, but his and my point of view differ in terms of accountability. it is one thing to give explanations or comments, and quite a different thing to have a skin in the game and be held accountable for the results achieved. these results are reflected in a favourable business environment, which is why i can proudly say that there are many serbia's friends here with us today. and why i can congratulate on the 30th anniversary of the kopaonik business forum to mr vlahovi, myself and all of us who have experienced this maturity, while being at the same