05-08-2025
5 PH firms land on Forbes Asia's 'Best Under A Billion' 2025 List
Five Filipino companies were included in Forbes Asia's 'Best Under A Billion' 2025 list, which recognizes 200 publicly listed companies in the Asia-Pacific region with annual sales of over $10 million, but less than $1 billion.
According to Forbes Asia, a total of 69 companies returned from the previous year, while financial services drove the entry of 18 companies onto the list, the beauty industry with 13, and other companies benefiting from the gathering momentum in the segments they operate.
"With trade tensions looming over the Asia-Pacific region, growth is predicted to continue to slow, according to the International Monetary Fund. Despite these challenges, the annual Best Under A Billion list showcases businesses that remained resilient over the past year and, in many cases, thrived," Forbes Asia said.
Below is a list of the companies from the Philippines:
A. Soriano Corp. — $226M sales, $82M net income, $643M market value
Has major investments in Phelps Dodge Philippines Energy Products Corp., which manufacturers wire and cable products; and Seven Seas Resorts and Leisure Inc., which owns and operates the Amanpulo Resort in Pamalican Island, Palawan.
Apex Mining Co. Inc. — $254M sales, $76M net income, $687M market value
Mine produces bullions containing gold and silver. All of its production, as well as incidental production of its wholly owned subsidiary Itogon-Suyoc Resources Inc., are smelted and refined by Heraeus Ltd. in Hong Kong.
Converge Information & Communications Technology Solutions Inc. — $709M sales, $189M net income, $2.332 billion market value
Offers fixed broadband internet services to residential and enterprise customers, and provides private data network solutions, cloud and collocation services, and other connectivity solutions to enterprises of varying size.
Figaro Culinary Group — $97M sales, $11M net income, $65M market value
Processes, manufactures, and packages food products, and establishes, invests, develops, operates, and maintains coffee shops and refreshment parlors, among others.
Philippine Bank of Communications — $195M sales, $39M net income, $170M market value
Offers basic commercial banking services such as deposit products, credit and loan facilities, trade-related services, treasury and foreign exchange trading, cash management services, trust and investment management services.
The latest list was drawn from more than 19,000 publicly traded companies in the region, based on a composite score that considered factors such as debt, sales, and earnings-per-share growth over the most recent one- and three-year periods, as well as the strongest one- and five-year average returns on equity.
They were also screened using qualitative criteria—excluding companies with serious governance issues, questionable accounting practices, environmental concerns, management problems, or recent legal troubles. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
