Back to all news

Cebu Exchange investors gearing up to ride Cebu's surging economy

  • 21 December 2020

  • Investments

  • Cebu Exchange, Arthaland

  • www.cnnphilippines.com

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Locators of the Cebu Exchange are now preparing for their start of operations following ARTHALAND’s on-time handover of Phase 1 last October 2020.

Investors look forward to taking advantage of Cebu’s continued economic growth and consider Cebu Exchange as the most sought-after and prime business address, as it is set to become a landmark of the Cebu City skyline.

Located at the Cebu IT Park gateway, Cebu Exchange will be the Philippines’ largest multi-certified green office tower offering an approximate 11 hectares in gross floor area of office space, along with five stories of premier retail space along Salinas Drive.

Among its early locators, the Union Bank of the Philippines took note of Cebu's evolution as a strategic growth engine. With rapid digital transformation throughout the archipelago, the bank wants to ensure it remains at the forefront of servicing business needs — whether digital or physical — and deliver its goal of inclusive prosperity for all Filipinos.

One key element that the Aboitiz-owned bank found at Cebu Exchange is its capacity to optimally support “phygital” initiatives so that brands and enterprises can effectively execute newer and consumer-focused marketing. This is done by blending smart “digital” experiences with an interactive “physical” location, enabled by Cebu Exchange’s fiber optic-pathways.

The property is designed to provide tenants like UnionBank with uninterrupted, high-speed data connections critical to seamless operations of their trailblazing ARK digital branch. “This is why Cebu Exchange will be the home of one of our most-advanced ARK digital branches as well as our Cebu headquarters," said UnionBank President and Chief Executive Officer Edwin Bautista.

"The bank made Cebu a region-in-itself, and not just the hub for the Visayas so that all Cebu-based UnionBankers can now focus 100% on serving and enabling the banking and business needs of Cebuanos," he added.

Edwin R. Bautista, UnionBank President and Chief Executive Officer.

Esquire Financing, a proud advocate for the growth and development of small and medium-sized businesses, likewise saw Cebu Exchange’s strategic location and design excellence when selecting the property for its principal headquarters in Cebu and the Visayas.

“The Cebu Exchange had everything we wanted for our regional hub. Apart from being perfectly situated in the Cebu Central Business District, we were impressed by its sustainable features and future-ready facilities," added Rajan Uttamchandani, Esquire Financing's chairman and chief executive officer. "The same can be said about ARTHALAND’s other projects, such as the Savya Financial Center in Taguig, where we have partnered with ARTHALAND in its development. It will also be the future site of our Philippine headquarters.”

On the other hand, the Cebu-based Tan Family was encouraged to pick Cebu Exchange by their relatives, who have been very pleased with the design and services provided in their investments in other ARTHALAND projects in Manila. Being in the construction industry themselves, they have a deeper appreciation of the company’s vision and mantra for building green, which extends to educating the community and encouraging unit owners and tenants to promote environmental sustainability.

According to the Tan siblings, the whole experience with Cebu Exchange was a breeze, and every department they dealt with was very efficient. The teams quickly adapted to these unprecedented times to respond to their needs — reassuring them that their unit's handover will be on time.

They have enrolled their units with ARTHALAND’s Consolidated Leasing Solutions (CLS), which provides hassle-free leasing to maximize their investment.

Through CLS, their units will be combined with other units within the same floor and will thereafter be offered for lease to larger companies and multinational companies. The ease and convenience of dealing with just one entity to manage possible tenants from negotiation to rental collections attracted them to the CLS. They have no worries as they know that CLS will ensure that their space is in good hands even in the middle of a pandemic.

The turnover of Cebu Exchange Phase 1 pushed through as scheduled despite this year's challenges. This reflects ARTHALAND and its business partner for Cebu Exchange ARCH Capital’s commitment to all of its stakeholders and investors.

Rajan Uttamchandani, Esquire Financing Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Cebu Exchange is scheduled to complete and handover Phase 2 units in April 2022. It is already a multi-certified development this early, having just been Pre-Certified for the International WELL Building Institute’s WELL™ Building Standard in addition to having previously been Pre-Certified Gold for the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) and Design Certified 5-Stars for the Philippine Green Building Council’s Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE).

Cebu Exchange's newest building is also registered and on track for the International Finance Corporation’s (a member of the World Bank Group) Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE®) certification. It was awarded Best Office High Rise Development in the 2019 Japan International Property Awards, Best Commercial Landscape Architectural Design at the 2019 PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards, and the Best Office Development in the Philippines 2018 PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards.

ARTHALAND is the foremost green and sustainable developer recognized by both local and global organizations for its superior design, high quality, focus on sustainability and innovation. It has made its mark in the Philippine real estate industry by pioneering the development and management of best-in-class properties that adhere to international and local standards for premium green projects.

For more information about Cebu Exchange and Consolidated Leasing Solutions (CLS) by ARTHALAND, call +63917 77 ARTHA (27842), e-mail [email protected], or visit www.arthaland.com.

The Cebu Exchange showroom is located at the ARTHALAND GALLERY, 2F Cebu Exchange, Salinas Drive, Lahug, Cebu City.