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CBS officers together with SME clients and prospects at the CBS SME Kapihan held near the CBS AS Fortuna Branch in Mandaue City, Cebu.
MANILA, Philippines — CBS China Bank Savings is maintaining credit standards, committing to SME lending as part of its Build and Rise advocacy for the promotion of entrepreneurship amid a difficult environment of rising inflation and slowing growth.
Engineer Ramon Christopher Abiva, President of A and D Floor Center Tile Depot Inc. (center) poses for a photo with (from left) CBS SME Lending Group Luzon North Lending Department Head Eugene Mendoza, CBS SME Lending Group Head Brenda Santiago, Mary Ann Abiva, CBS Retail Banking Group North Luzon Area 1 Head Thelma Isais and Laoag Branch Business Manager Mayvelyn Canlapan. Abiva delivered a testimonial before other entrepreneurs, speaking about how CBS helped him grow his business.
Brenda Santiago, head of the SME Lending Group at CBS, has witnessed firsthand how prudent and timely financial support can help Filipino entrepreneurs survive and even thrive during challenging economic conditions.
“Our group has been conducting what we call ‘SME Kapihans’ every year. These are face-to-face discussions with entrepreneurs where our account officers share their expertise on financing to support their various business needs. The clients themselves share how timely, well-planned loans helped them grab opportunities to lower costs or expand market share. Others share how they still find it hard to access formal banking services, even though their operations have grown significantly in size. These interactions allow us to fully understand SMEs, helping us create bespoke loans for their specific needs.”
CBS SME Lending Group Head Brenda Santiago delivers her opening remarks at the CBS SME Kapihan event in Laoag City.
The SME Lending Group has contributed to an expanding SME loan portfolio at CBS, helping the Bank notch record highs in profitability every year since 2021. The Bank is eager to expand its SME portfolio this year, banking on its success with long time SME clients through the years.
CBS has documented those success stories in an online series titled, CBS My Story: SME Kapihan, available on the CBS Facebook and YouTube pages. Already with six editions, the entrepreneurs featured discuss the impact of formal banking services on their different situations.
Santiago says “their stories really inspire us to do more and give more. Some of them experienced formal banking services for the first time with CBS after dealing with informal lenders for years. They come away feeling empowered, able to outperform their own expectations.”
Warren Augustus de Guzman, Division Head of Customer Experience Management, Marketing Services and Sustainability Division of China Bank Savings, delivers his welcome remarks during the CBS SME Kapihan in Cebu.
CBS Cebu Area Head Pia Monica Alturas shares her message with SME clients and partners during the CBS SME Kapihan held in Mandaue City, Cebu.
CBS president James Christian Dee says it is important for the Bank to offer SMEs the same formal financing services large corporations enjoy: “The Government’s Financial Stability Coordination Council flagged ‘concentrated exposure to large borrowers’ as a systemic risk to the Philippine financial system in its 2025 report. CBS is doing its part to ensure credit flows to underserved SME operations in a disciplined, prudential and timely manner. This addresses the risk of concentration while promoting entrepreneurship and the equitable distribution of economic opportunities.”
CBS has long championed SME financing, having gained significant expertise on SMEs following its 2015 acquisition and merger with Planters Development Bank, a recognized SME financing pioneer in the Philippines.
The same expertise is already institutionalized in the Bank’s existing credit standards, carefully crafted to provide disciplined, prudent and appropriate support for SME clients and their various economic activities.
Santiago says “Our credit process is sound. We know how to serve the needs of SMEs, and we know how to do it well. We are here to ensure our clients thrive in the good times and the bad.”
Learn more about CBS China Bank Savings and its SME products and services through its website at www.cbs.com.ph or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CBSChinaBankSavings.
Editor’s Note: This press release is sponsored by CBS China Bank Savings. It is published by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.
