World Bank extends $4.13 million grants to Philippines

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

March 1, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has obtained three grants worth $4.13 million from the World Bank this year to support projects in agricultural financing, small business development and broadband connectivity, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

In a statement, the DOF said the new grants approved under the Washington-based multilateral lender’s Grant Facility for Project Preparation come at no cost to the government.

These grants seek “to strengthen project preparation – ensuring sound technical, financial, environmental and social foundations that minimize delays and accelerate project delivery.”

Finance Secretary Frederick Go said the funding is critical to project development and pledged swift finalization and signing.

”Grants are financial assistance from development partners provided at no cost to the Philippine government, fully funding critical preparatory work and enabling the government to preserve fiscal space while advancing priority projects,” the DOF said.

Among the beneficiaries of these grants was the Department of Agriculture’s Improving MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) Access to Finance and Resilience to Climate Shocks project, which received $1.21 million in assistance to bolster agricultural financing, modernize insurance systems and improve rural development institutions.

“It is envisioned to help the DA address implementation risks early and boost productivity, increase rural incomes, create jobs, improve food security and help communities better cope with climate-related shocks,” the DOF said.

The government also secured another $1.21-million grant from the World Bank for the Philippines SME COMPETE Project of the Department of Trade and Industry, expected to boost the local and global competitiveness of SMEs, enabling them to scale up, access wider markets and generate more employment.

The DOF said the grant would support project design, strong environmental and social safeguards and coordinated implementation.

Meanwhile, the Philippines Digital Infrastructure Project Scale-up received $1.71 million in grant support. The project is expected to expand broadband connectivity in underserved areas, including Western Mindanao and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“The funding will cover technical and economic feasibility studies, detailed engineering designs, stakeholder engagement and institutional capacity building, among other critical preparatory activities,” the DOF said.