Five Philippine companies have earned a spot on Forbes Asia’s “Best Under A Billion” list, an unranked roster of 200 small and mid-sized publicly traded firms with annual sales below $1 billion and above $10 million. Figures are based on the latest publicly available data as of July 7, 2025.
The Philippine firms that made the cut include:
· A. Soriano Corp. – $226 million in sales, $82 million net income, and a $643 million market value
· Apex Mining Corp. – $254 million in sales, $76 million net income, and a $687 million market value
· Converge ICT Solutions Inc. – $709 million in sales, $189 million net income, and a $2.44 billion market value
· Figaro Culinary Group – $97 million in sales, $11 million net income, and a $65 million market value
· Philippine Bank of Communications – $195 million in sales, $39 million net income, and a $170 million market value
Forbes Asia noted that despite slowing growth projections amid trade tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, the firms on this year’s list “showcase businesses that remained resilient over the past year and, in many cases, thrived.”
“The buoyant financial services sector propelled 18 companies onto the list—more than double the eight that appeared last year. The beauty industry continues to shine, with 13 companies, mostly South Korean, making the cut,” the publication said.
“Other firms benefited from momentum in industries such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, and data centers. In total, 69 companies returned to the 2025 list from the previous year,” authors Ardian Wibisono and Yessar Rosendar wrote.
The list was drawn from a pool of over 19,000 publicly traded companies in the Asia-Pacific region. Selection was based on long-term, sustainable performance across various metrics.
Candidates were evaluated using a composite score factoring debt levels, sales and earnings-per-share growth over one- and three-year periods, and the strongest one- and five-year average return on equity.
Excluded from the list were state-controlled entities, subsidiaries of larger firms, and companies with serious governance issues, questionable accounting practices, environmental concerns, legal troubles, or problematic management history.
