PH ranks 3rd fastest in intangible investment growth—WIPO

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines ranked as the world’s third-fastest-growing market for intangible investments in its first appearance in a World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo) report, making it the only Southeast Asian economy included.

In its World Intangible Investment Highlights 2026, Wipo said the Philippines’ intangible investments grew by 4.6 percent from 2021 to 2022, following only India (7.9 percent) and Japan (4.8 percent) among the 29 economies covered.

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From 2012 to 2022, the country’s intangible investments grew at a compound annual growth rate of 3.9 percent, expanding the global average of 3.5 percent.

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According to Teodoro Pascua, director general of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, the findings showed the country’s growing investment in knowledge-based assets as it enters upper-middle-income status.

“As the Philippines enters upper-middle-income status, our rapid gains in R&D, software and brands show that we are paving the way toward that future,” Pascua said during the report’s launch on Wednesday.

Valued at $49.1B

Wipo estimated the Philippines’ intangible investments at $49.1 billion in 2022.

Among the different asset classes, research and development (R&D) posted the fastest growth, growing at a compound annual rate of 20.1 percent from 2012 to 2022.

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Software and databases followed at 18.3 percent, making the Philippines the fastest-growing economy in that category.

Wipo Assistant Director General Marco Alemán said the country’s investment in software and data, which averaged more than 80 percent annual growth over the past decade, reflected a shift “from an economy of things to an economy of ideas.”

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Although R&D and software accounted for only about 15 percent of the country’s total intangible investments, spending on R&D increased more than sixfold during the period, while investment in software and databases grew more than fivefold.

Organizational capital remained the country’s largest intangible asset, accounting for 48.3 percent of total intangible investments, followed by brands at 28.9 percent.

Brand investments reached $14.2 billion, placing the Philippines among the world’s 12 largest investors in the category.

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Despite the strong growth, intangible assets accounted for only 4.4 percent of GDP in 2022, compared with 20 percent for tangible investments, WIPO said.

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The report, now in its third edition, covers 29 economies representing about 57 percent of global GDP. Global intangible investments surpassed $10 trillion in 2025 for the first time, an all-time high. /pai INQ