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Banks are believed to  instrumental to economic growth because it provides the financial backbone needed to spur economic development through business creation and expansion. A healthy and resilient banking sector signals economic growth and development that is sustainable. The efficient transfer of funds from those that has surplus of them towards those that need them has been made possible due to the intermediation of banks. In the Philippines, banking formally started in 1851 with the establishment of the Bank of the Philippine Islands, which up to this day, stands to be one of the country’s biggest and most stable universal bank. This study analyzes how universal banks grew over the years, and determines whether a correlation exists between universal bank growth and economic growth, using the variable of GDP growth rate as proxy for economic growth. The study showed that at the most recent periods, universal banks’ ROE and ROA are negatively correlated with GDP growth rate.   Key words: Universal banks, History of banking, Economic growth of the Philippines, GDP growth rate

Universal banks combine commercial loan services and public deposit functions with investment, and other services such as home and auto financing, mutual funds, pension and insurance to name a few. The importance of universal banks have been recognized in emerging economies, and its growth spur economic growth and development of many countries in the world. Most universal banks are listed in stock exchanges, and as financial intermediaries, not only these banks expand their already wide portfolios but they allow more global investors into the fold, almost like a foreign direct investor, the difference only is, the investor don’t have to leave the home country. Since these banks are considered to be among the key players in stock markets, and this study seeks to understand what factors drive their performance in stock exchange so that global investors be aided in making investment decisions on universal banks.