# Banking in MNL



## allan123 (Jun 18, 2013)

Hi All

Are there any banks in Manila that expats favour re overseas transfers and the like or are they all pretty much the same?


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## ace587 (Jun 18, 2013)

allan123 said:


> Hi All
> 
> Are there any banks in Manila that expats favour re overseas transfers and the like or are they all pretty much the same?


most are the same afaik. What bank do you have right now?


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

There are many nationwide banks here. From personal experience and that of friends I would stay away from Philippine National Bank. Overseas money transfers with them can take days. Service in their locations is slow and terrible antiquated. 
The more popular and efficient are Bank Of The Philippine Islands (BPI), and China Bank. If collecting a government retirement such as US Social Security, there is only a short list of banks here that are approved. BPI and China Bank are two of those. Personally, I prefer China Bank.


Gene


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## allan123 (Jun 18, 2013)

Thanks ACE.....


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## allan123 (Jun 18, 2013)

Sorry forgot to Add, currently we use HSBC in Australia, but will need to switch.


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## allan123 (Jun 18, 2013)

Thanks Gene, some good info here, I will look into these 2 banks ASAP. Thank you for your help.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

allan123 said:


> Thanks Gene, some good info here, I will look into these 2 banks ASAP. Thank you for your help.


Hi Allan,

You're very welcome. Another thought too; when here in country you might check with your embassy as they may have ideas or suggestions on banking for you that I'm not aware of.


Regards

Gene


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## ace587 (Jun 18, 2013)

idk if you are interested in HSBC, but they only have 1 branch in Binondo, Manila which has been there for a while. I would personally go with BPI or Banco De Oro since they big and stable for overseas transfer but yeah def check with the Embassy which is good for you.


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## allan123 (Jun 18, 2013)

Thanks all for your help.....


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## overmyer (Aug 15, 2013)

Gene and Viol said:


> There are many nationwide banks here. From personal experience and that of friends I would stay away from Philippine National Bank. Overseas money transfers with them can take days. Service in their locations is slow and terrible antiquated.
> The more popular and efficient are Bank Of The Philippine Islands (BPI), and China Bank. If collecting a government retirement such as US Social Security, there is only a short list of banks here that are approved. BPI and China Bank are two of those. Personally, I prefer China Bank.
> 
> Gene


Ditto on China Bank!!!


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