The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is exploring a hike in the minimum capital requirement for stockbrokers, according to its chairman, Francisco Lim. During a briefing, he stated that the regulator is considering raising the capital threshold to over PHP 100 million, a standard last seen in 2001.

Lim noted that the SEC has identified certain brokerages with low capital bases that have encountered issues in the past, though he did not elaborate further. "Brokers don't just execute buy and sell orders; they must also contribute to the growth of the stock market," Lim said.

For context, in June 2025, the Philippine SEC introduced a series of reforms aimed at encouraging companies to go public. Additionally, the regulator has capped the term limit for exchange broker directors at 10 years.