The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) raises its policy rate by 25 basis points to 4.75%, according to a BSP statement on Thursday. The decision matches expectations from economists surveyed by Reuters, where 20 of 25 respondents predicted a 25-basis point increase to the BSP’s overnight borrowing rate. Five other economists instead expected a larger 50-basis point hike, which would have taken the policy rate to 5%. Channel NewsAsia reports the same move, describing the rate increase as widely anticipated. The announcements indicate the BSP is maintaining a gradual adjustment rather than a larger step, consistent with the majority forecast in the Reuters poll. No additional policy guidance, rationale, or market reaction details are included in the excerpts provided, so the central agreement across sources is limited to the magnitude of the hike and the resulting policy rate level.