MANILA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' balance of payments (BOP) registered a deficit of 2.3 billion U.S. dollars in February, the Philippine central bank said Thursday.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the BOP recorded an overall deficit of 2.7 billion dollars in the first two months of 2026.

The BSP said the country's gross international reserves (GIR) increased to 113.3 billion dollars as of end-February.

The BOP accounts for the country's transactions with the rest of the world. GIR are made up of foreign-denominated securities, foreign exchange, and other assets, including gold. ■