British Chamber sees 2026 opportunities, vows to boost investor confidence

Philstar.com

January 10, 2026 | 9:32am

The British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP) welcomes the year with optimism, marking 2026 to be filled with opportunities that the Philippines should take advantage of, particularly, the ASEAN Chairship, prioritization of bills related to digitalization and cybersecurity, as well as its application to the Trans-Pacific trading bloc. 

In a statement, BCCP Executive Vice Chair Chris Nelson noted that, “We welcome 2026 on a positive note but will remain cautious on the developments concerning the flood control issue and also other external headwinds. We will continue to support efforts from the government and the private sector in increasing the FDI figures.”

Nelson previously noted that issues on corruption continue to impact investor confidence and therefore, encouraged doubling efforts on the investigation as well as pushing for reforms on transparency and streamlining business processes. 

Previously, the Chamber identified its priority measures including the Cybersecurity Act, Digital Payments Act, and Blue Economy Act  which were also included under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

These areas, according to Nelson, can also encourage strengthening facilitation of trade and diplomatic relations between the UK and the Philippines. Nelson also looks forward to the annual UK-Southeast Asia Tech Week 2026 that will run from 9th to 13th February 2026 in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.

He noted that the push for the Cybersecurity Act will spotlight the Philippines as an attractive investment hub for British cybersecurity companies and can further assist the country’s digital transformation agenda. 

Other industry areas that the Chamber looks forward to promoting include agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy, and infrastructure. The UK remains a reliable agricultural partner for the Philippines with meat and meat preparations exports valued at £29.9 million in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2025.

The Chamber, recognizing the upward trend of headline inflation in December 2025 at 1.8%, cited how imports from the UK can further assist in managing food inflation which also saw an increase at 1.2% in the same period. 

Previously, it also welcomed the discussion with the Department of Agriculture regarding its plan to look into the minimum access volume at the beginning of the year. Nelson noted that, “My point of issue is we should be doing as much as possible to make supplies freely available so that Philippine consumers have access to quality pork, whether it’s from the UK (United Kingdom), from other countries or local and that your prices remain stable …”

Other trading arrangements must also be leveraged such as the UK's Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), UK-Philippine Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) that could strengthen regional market access, further diversify the country’s trade partners and participate in the combined $13.5 trillion economy. 

In 2026, the UK and the Philippines will be celebrating its 80th year of diplomatic relations and the Chamber’s celebration of its 25th founding anniversary. The longstanding and growing presence of the British business community is further proven by the £3.0 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2025, an increase of 6.5% from the previous year.