In Q1 2026, Philippine National Bank won the low-provision race, setting aside far less than China Bank and helping both banks keep profits in the ₱6bn club. In Philippine banking’s first quarter of 2026, the race was not merely to lend more, widen margins or charm depositors. It was also to provision less. On that track, Philippine National Bank crossed the line ahead of China Banking Corporation. PNB set aside just ₱225.7m for impairment, credit and other losses, down 18.6% from a year earlier, saying the decline reflected improved credit portfolio performance . CBC, by contrast, booked a still-modest but larger ₱683.8m provision, up from ₱285.1m a year earlier. The prize was visible in the bottom line. PNB’s net income reached ₱6.37bn , while CBC’s was ₱6.78bn . In both cases, small credit charges helped keep earnings comfortably in the ₱6bn range , despite a quarter marked by market volatility, bond-price pain and noisy treasury results. Yet the two banks arri...