the Outsider - PSE Points to Ponder

  Mynt, the parent of GCash, now earns more than UnionBank, Security Bank, and RCBC—and nearly as much as PNB and Chinabank. There was a time when GCash was spoken of as a payments app, a convenient wrapper around mobile money. That description now feels quaint. In Globe Telecom’s first-quarter 2026 results, Mynt—the parent company of GCash—reported ₱5.6 billion in net income for the three months ended March 31, 2026, on ₱20.9 billion in revenues . Globe’s own equity share from Mynt reached ₱1.927 billion , reflecting its 34% stake after dilution from MUFG’s investment.  That puts Mynt in an unusual place in Philippine finance: not quite a bank, but earning like one. In the same quarter, UnionBank earned ₱3.8 billion , Security Bank earned ₱2.7 billion , and RCBC earned ₱2.7 billion . Mynt’s quarterly profit was therefore comfortably ahead of those of the listed lenders. Meanwhile, it came within range of PNB’s ₱6.37 billion and Chinabank’s ₱6.8 billion —institutions with l...

  In Philippine telecoms, the contest between Manny Pangilinan’s PLDT and the Ayalas’ Globe is no longer only about whose network is faster, whose fiber reaches farther, or whose mobile brand occupies more Filipino pockets. It is increasingly a quieter struggle: who can carry the heavy debt of the 5G and fiber era with less strain? The first-quarter 2026 numbers show two giants trying to normalize after years of capital intensity. PLDT remains the larger machine, with ₱56.5bn in revenues and ₱28.3bn in EBITDA , against Globe’s ₱45.7bn in revenues and ₱22.2bn in EBITDA . Yet size is not the same as comfort. PLDT’s earnings engine is bigger, but its leverage and liquidity metrics look more stretched. Globe, smaller but nimbler, presents the cleaner deleveraging story. PLDT’s advantage is obvious at first glance. Its EBITDA base of ₱28.3bn in the first quarter exceeded Globe’s ₱22.2bn , giving Pangilinan’s group a broader cash-profit cushion to absorb interest, lease, depreciation,...

  The Ayala Group may find it harder to squeeze higher dividends from Globe Telecom Inc. as the phone carrier’s latest quarterly results show rising financial strain beneath otherwise resilient operating numbers. Globe, one of the Philippines’ largest telecommunications companies and a key dividend contributor to Ayala Corp., reported a 20% drop in first-quarter net income to ₱5.55 billion , even as service revenues climbed 5% to ₱41.97 billion . The divergence points to a growing challenge for shareholders: Globe’s core business is still expanding, but more of its cash and earnings are being absorbed by debt costs, capital spending, and foreign-exchange volatility. For investors counting on rising payouts, the message from the March quarter was mixed. Globe’s core net income rose 9% to ₱4.93 billion , and EBITDA increased 7% to ₱22.17 billion , with margin improving to 52.8% from 52.1% a year earlier. Yet reported net income fell sharply, reflecting the absence of prior-year one...

  The Ayala group appears to be entering a new phase at Globe Telecom Inc.: after years of heavy network buildout, the Philippine carrier is finally easing capital expenditure. But rather than immediately channeling that breathing room into richer shareholder payouts, the numbers suggest Globe may first use the savings to defend its balance sheet and manage a costlier capital stack.  Ayala Corp., one of Globe’s two principal shareholders, owned 30.64% of the company’s common shares as of Dec. 31, 2025, alongside Singapore Telecom International Pte. Ltd., which held 43.36% . That makes Globe’s capital-allocation choices especially relevant to one of the Philippines’ most closely watched conglomerates, whose listed units are often judged on dividend discipline as much as on growth. There is a clear reason investors are focusing on the spending cycle. Globe’s cash capex fell 18% to ₱46.2 billion in 2025 from ₱56.2 billion in 2024 , with management saying the figure was in line ...