BPI Wealth looks to sustain 20% growth in trust assets

THE WEALTH MANAGEMENT arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) targets at least 20% growth in its assets under management (AUM) this year as it expands access to global funds by offering them in peso denominations.

“We see continuous growth in wealth levels across all segments. We have seen that in the last five years. In fact, last year, I believe we grew more than 20% in AUM, and that is the same target that we are looking at this year,” BPI Wealth President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Theresa D. Marcial said at a press briefing on Thursday.

BPI Wealth’s trust assets grew 19.6% to P1.83 trillion last year from P1.53 trillion in 2024, central bank data showed.

As part of BPI Wealth’s efforts to make its services more inclusive, it has made two global investment funds available in peso denominations on its platform.

“As of this June, two funds, the BPI World Tech Feeder Fund and the BPI Global Equity Fund of Funds, are available in peso classes on our investment platforms. Now and in the future, we will be making more global equity funds accessible to Filipinos to maximize potential growth in these fast-moving global industries,” Ms. Marcial said.

“This serves our broader commitment to democratize wealth management and help more Filipinos maximize opportunities to reach their financial goals.”

The global funds are available for a minimum investment amount of P1,000, removing the need for currency conversion or platform hopping.

BPI Wealth Chief Investment Officer Luis Antonio P. Zialcita added that they are looking at opening a peso share class for their other global funds currently only denominated in dollars.

“Some of the key funds would be our sustainable suite of funds. That would cut across the sustainable equity, sustainable fixed income, and sustainable balanced funds, for example. That will potentially be opened up later this year,” he said.

BPI Wealth Head of Personal Wealth Irene L. Ang said that the ongoing market volatility presents growth opportunities for investors, especially for those looking to diversify globally.

“Whenever there’s volatility, there’s also opportunities. We’d like to open those opportunities to our retail clients and make it easier for them by launching the peso class. They don’t need to convert their pesos to dollars. They can invest their pesos straight and then be invested in these global equity opportunities,” she said.

BPI’s net income rose by 1.7% to P16.92 billion in the first quarter. Its shares went up by P1.40 or 1.43% to end at P99.50 each on Thursday. — Aaron Michael C. Sy