DigiPlus joins PSEi; Bloomberry out
Despite what has been a challenging month for DigiPlus Interactive Corp., it was named the newest member of the main share Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi), joining the roster of the bourse’s largest, most valued and most liquid companies.
The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) announced on Friday the inclusion of digital entertainment platform DigiPlus in the 30-member PSEi, effectively kicking out its new rival, Bloomberry Resorts Corp.
“Joining the PSE Index is more than a corporate milestone for us at DigiPlus. It’s a powerful statement that homegrown Filipino companies can lead in the digital age,” DigiPlus chair Eusebio Tanco said in a statement sent to reporters.
The Enrique Razon-led operator of Solaire Resorts and Casino, meanwhile, was transferred to the MidCap index.
Changes to the PSE indices will take effect on Aug. 18, PSE said in a notice. This is part of the bourse’s regular review of the PSEi, sector and other indices to ensure that these accurately reflect the performance of the market.
To qualify for the main index, companies need to maintain a 20-percent minimum public float; rank among the top 25 percent in terms of median daily trade per month within a nine- or 12-month period; be among the 30 largest companies listed on the bourse in terms of full market capitalization; and be listed on the main board of the PSE for at least 12 months.
This comes as a much-anticipated move after DigiPlus’ fall from the peak, with its share price having already plunged by 58.8 percent to P26.90 on Friday from its 52-week high of P65.30.
The free fall of DigiPlus, whose flagship game is BingoPlus, began in July, when Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian filed a bill seeking tighter regulations for the online gambling sector.
But what saved DigiPlus was the review period, according to analysts.
“Objectively, [DigiPlus] checked all the quantitative inclusion criteria during the review period, which was from July 2024 to June 2025,” Ron Acoba, chief investment strategist at Trading Edge Consultancy, told the Inquirer. “That was, of course, before all the regulatory issues came about during the first week of July.”
Wendy Estacio-Cruz, research head at Unicapital Securities Inc., called DigiPlus’ inclusion “timely and justified, especially in light of the government’s decision not to impose a total ban on online gambling but rather to enforce tighter regulations.”
Other changes
As for the Dividend Yield index, which includes companies with high-yielding dividends, its new members are Co family-led liquor distributor The Keepers Holdings Inc. and grocery retail chain Puregold Price Club Inc. Figaro Culinary Group Inc. and Universal Robina Corp. were kicked out.
Joining Bloomberry as the newest members of the MidCap Index are Asia United Bank and OceanaGold (Philippines) Inc., replacing GMA Network Inc., Petron Corp. and DigiPlus.
MSCI rebalancing
The PSE also released the results of its regular review a day after the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) rebalancing, which did not include any change in its main Philippine Index.
Instead, MSCI focused on the Small Cap index, which welcomed the entry of Philippine National Bank and RL Commercial REIT Inc. and kicked out D&L Industries Inc.
This reinforced the projection of First Metro Securities Brokerage Corp., whose report came out a day before the rebalancing was announced.
Asiabest trading suspension lifted
At the same time, the PSE lifted the trading suspension of Asiabest Group International Inc. (ABG) at 11:30 a.m. on Friday after nearly eight months.
This, after PremiumLands Corp. acquired 66.67 percent of ABG’s shares, representing the shareholding of Tiger Resorts Asia Ltd. The latter took control of ABG in 2018.
According to ABG, it will now focus on mass housing and infrastructure development, from its previous goal of being an entertainment and gaming firm.
