RCBC eyes double-digit growth in credit card loans, user base in 2026

Yuchengco-led Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) is looking to post double-digit growth in its credit card loans and user base this year, following the launch of its new Airmiles Visa Signature, which caters to the affluent market.

According to RCBC president and chief executive officer Reginald Cariaso, the bank is looking to grow credit card loans by double digits this year, as it seeks to onboard more customers with new business offerings.

“We hope so. That’s the intention. We’re going to go for it. We think our clients will be attracted to it,” he told reporters in an interview in Makati City, referring to the Airmiles Visa Signature.

The offering provides a 1:1 mile conversion rate with airline mileage programs and a 1.5% foreign exchange conversion fee, along with unlimited airport lounge access worldwide and up to P20 million in insurance coverage.

RCBC Credit Cards president and chief executive officer Arniel Vincent Ong said the card caters mostly to the affluent market, which accounts for over half of the credit card transaction values. This covers clients who normally receive credit limits of at least P100,000.

“In RCBC, we’ve been making a stronger position on the affluent segment, the premium segment. For the last three to four years since the exit of the pandemic, that’s been a very conscious decision that we’ve made,” he said in a separate interview.

“A lot of our products, features, and promotions have really been trying to capture the mass affluent and the affluent segment needs,” he added.

According to Ong, the company currently has 1.5 million credit cards, and double-digit growth is expected this year.

“We’re projecting double-digit growth. We still believe in the market, and we still think that there are a lot of opportunities in the market,” he said.

“We now have 1.5 million cards in RCBC as of today, and we expect that number to continue growing for the remainder of the year. This is one of the ways for us to grow the portfolio,” he added.

RCBC posted 11% growth in its net income to P10.6 billion in 2025, as its net interest income rose by 32% on the back of a wider funding base, while service fees climbed 25%. Its net interest margin improved by 89 basis points to 4.77%. — VBL, GMA Integrated News