The Makati Central Business District, also known as the Makati CBD, is the leading financial and central business district in the Philippines located at the heart of Makati in Metro Manila. It is politically known аs "Central Cluster" in the West District of Makati. It is different from the civic center of Makati known as "Makati Poblacion" which is situated at the north-east portion of the district. It is bounded by EDSA, Gil Puyat Avenue, Arnaiz Avenue, and Chino Roces Avenue. The whole district occupies barangays of San Antonio, San Lorenzo, Bel-Air, and Urdaneta.
Many of the skyscrapers in Metro Manila are in this area. PBCom Tower along Ayala Avenue is the country's tallest building and reaches up 259 meters. It is the headquarters of the Philippine Bank of Communications, or PBCom. The business district is also considered as one of the most vibrant commеrcial districts in Southeast Asia. It contains the Ayala Center, one of the region's major shopping centers.
The financial district is managed by two groups - the Makati Commercial Estates Association (MaCEA) and the Ayala Property Management Corporation (APMC).
Downtown Makati started out as part of the wide municipality of Santa Ana de Sapa (part of the City of Manila today) and became a town of its own in 1670, then as San Pedro de Macati in honor of its patron, Saint Peter.
In 1851, Don José Bonifacio Roxas (a member of the Ayala-Roxas family) purchased the farm estate of "Hacienda San Pedro de Macati" from the Jesuits for 52,800 pesos. The western portion of the estate is now what is called the downtown. Since then, Makati and its development remain close to the Zobel de Ayala family.