RCBC Credit Cards
RCBC Credit Cards is the Philippine card-issuing business formerly known as Bankard and RCBC Bankard.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
RCBC Credit Cards is a Philippine payment-card brand associated with Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC). Its history began in 1981, when Philippine Commercial International Bank, commonly called PCI Bank, organized Philippine Commercial Credit Card, Inc. (PCCCI) to establish a domestic credit-card operation. The company began full commercial operations in June 1982 and was notable as the first Philippine credit-card company established by a commercial bank. PCCCI changed its name to Bankard, Inc. in July 1992. During the 1990s, the business expanded beyond its core credit-card activities and issued both credit and debit cards. Its relationship with PCI Bank also broadened. PCI Bank received a MasterCard International license in 1991, and in 1994 transferred management and ownership of its MasterCard portfolio to Bankard for issuing and acquiring activities. In 1995, Bankard became the first credit-card company listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange and, according to the available reference material, only the second company in the Asia-Pacific region to reach that distinction. That same year it introduced billing options in both U.S. dollars and Philippine pesos and obtained a Visa International license covering merchant acquiring and Visa-branded card issuance. The corporate structure changed after PCI Bank merged with Equitable Bank to create Equitable PCI Bank. The new bank retained Equitable Bank's credit-card arm, Equitable Card Network, instead of integrating Bankard into that operation. In 2000, a majority stake in Bankard was sold to the Yuchengco Group of Companies, the group associated with RCBC. RCBC's own card operation, RCBC Card, was subsequently combined with Bankard. The enlarged business issued JCB cards through the RCBC Card operation and became an affiliate of RCBC, with the Yuchengco Group holding approximately two-thirds of Bankard at the time described in the reference material. A proposed transaction involving GE Consumer Finance later created uncertainty around ownership. The Yuchengco Group accepted a buyout offer for the Bankard business, although the price was undisclosed in the available account and the transaction required shareholder approval. GE Money ultimately did not acquire Bankard from RCBC. After the sale of the entire Bankard business to RCBC was concluded in December 2006, the company adopted the RCBC Bankard name in 2007. The brand was renamed RCBC Credit Cards on September 29, 2022. Today, the brand represents RCBC's credit-card offering in the Philippines. The available reference identifies Visa, Mastercard, JCB, and UnionPay (also called CUP) as payment networks issued by the business. Specific current card products, fees, application channels, customer numbers, financial results, and executive leadership are not established by the supplied sources and are therefore not stated here.
History
The business now known as RCBC Credit Cards traces its origins to December 4, 1981, when Philippine Commercial International Bank, or PCI Bank, organized Philippine Commercial Credit Card, Inc. The company was created to operate a domestic credit-card business and began full commercial operations in June 1982. Its connection to a commercial bank gave it an important place in Philippine payments history: the reference material describes it as the first credit-card company in the country to be issued by a commercial bank. In July 1992, Philippine Commercial Credit Card, Inc. changed its name to Bankard, Inc. The company expanded its activities during the following decade. PCI Bank obtained a MasterCard International license on June 20, 1991, allowing cards issued through its relationship with the MasterCard network to be accepted by participating banks and merchants worldwide. In 1994, PCI Bank transferred management and ownership of its MasterCard portfolio to Bankard, allowing Bankard to handle related issuing and acquiring activities. Bankard reached a further milestone in March 1995, when it became a publicly listed company on the Philippine Stock Exchange. The supplied reference characterizes this as the first Philippine credit-card-company listing and the second such listing in the Asia-Pacific region. Bankard also introduced both dollar and peso billing options in 1995. In May of that year, Visa International licensed the company to acquire merchant billings and issue Visa-branded cards. During the 1990s, the business also issued debit cards in addition to credit cards. The corporate environment changed when PCI Bank merged with Equitable Bank to form Equitable PCI Bank. Rather than combining Bankard with Equitable Bank's existing card operation, Equitable PCI retained the Equitable Card Network. Bankard subsequently entered the orbit of the Yuchengco Group of Companies. In 2000, the group acquired a majority position in Bankard. The Yuchengco Group was also the owner associated with Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, or RCBC. RCBC had its own card operation, RCBC Card. That operation was merged into Bankard, and the combined business began issuing JCB cards through the RCBC Card organization. At the stage described in the reference material, Bankard was approximately two-thirds owned by the Yuchengco Group and operated as an RCBC affiliate. The ownership structure later became the subject of a proposed transaction: the Yuchengco Group accepted a buyout offer from GE Consumer Finance, with the consideration undisclosed in the available source and the deal subject to shareholder approval. GE Money ultimately failed to acquire Bankard from RCBC. The Yuchengco Group had also sought to challenge its earlier acquisition on the grounds that it had paid Equitable PCI Bank too much, according to the supplied account. The Bankard business was eventually sold entirely to RCBC in December 2006. In 2007, the company adopted the RCBC Bankard name, aligning the card brand more directly with RCBC. Its card portfolio included Visa, Mastercard, JCB, and UnionPay products. On September 29, 2022, RCBC Bankard was renamed RCBC Credit Cards. The current brand therefore reflects a progression from a standalone PCI Bank card company, through the Bankard and RCBC Bankard identities, into an RCBC-branded card business. The provided sources do not establish a separate founding date for the current name, a current executive roster, a current legal entity structure, or detailed present-day product specifications.
- 2022
Rebrand to RCBC Credit Cards
[1]RCBC Bankard changes its brand name to RCBC Credit Cards on September 29.
- 2007
Rebrand to RCBC Bankard
[1]The business adopts the RCBC Bankard name after the RCBC transaction.
- 2006
Bankard business is sold to RCBC
[1]The sale of the entire Bankard business to RCBC is concluded in December.
- 2000
Yuchengco Group acquires a majority stake
[1]A majority of Bankard is sold to the Yuchengco Group of Companies, the group associated with RCBC.
- 1995
Public listing and Visa expansion
[1]Bankard lists on the Philippine Stock Exchange, introduces dollar and peso billing options, and receives a Visa International license.
- 1994
Mastercard portfolio is transferred to Bankard
[1]PCI Bank transfers management and ownership of its MasterCard portfolio to Bankard for issuing and acquiring activities.
- 1992
The company becomes Bankard
[1]Philippine Commercial Credit Card, Inc. changes its corporate name to Bankard, Inc. in July.
- 1991
Mastercard license is granted
[1]PCI Bank receives a MasterCard International license to issue cards accepted across the Mastercard network.
- 1982
Full commercial operations begin
[1]The company begins full commercial operations in June.
- 1981
Philippine Commercial Credit Card, Inc. is organized
[1]PCI Bank organizes Philippine Commercial Credit Card, Inc. on December 4 to operate a domestic credit-card business.
Products and positioning
A Philippine bank-card brand offering credit cards across major international payment networks, with roots in one of the country's earliest commercial-bank-sponsored credit-card operations.
Credit cards · 1995
RCBC Visa cards
Visa-branded credit cards issued by the RCBC card business. The company's Visa activities date to a 1995 Visa International license covering card issuance and merchant acquiring. Individual current card variants and benefits are not specified in the supplied sources.
Credit cards · 1991
RCBC Mastercard cards
Mastercard-branded cards connected to the portfolio originally developed through PCI Bank's Mastercard license and later transferred to Bankard. The reference does not identify current product tiers or features.
Credit cards
RCBC JCB cards
JCB-branded cards introduced through the RCBC Card operation after its merger into Bankard. The supplied material confirms the network relationship but does not provide product-level details.
Credit cards
RCBC UnionPay cards
UnionPay, also identified in the reference as CUP, is among the international payment networks issued by RCBC Credit Cards. Specific card names and features are not established by the supplied sources.
Brand decisions
2022
Rebrand as RCBC Credit CardsStrategyBackground
The card business had operated under the RCBC Bankard name since 2007.
Action taken
On September 29, 2022, the brand was renamed RCBC Credit Cards.
Aftermath
The current identity places the RCBC name at the center of the card offering, while the business retains its historical continuity with Bankard.
2007
Adopt the RCBC Bankard brandStrategyBackground
RCBC completed the acquisition of the Bankard business in December 2006, creating a basis for closer alignment between the card operation and RCBC.
Action taken
The company changed its name from Bankard to RCBC Bankard in 2007.
Aftermath
The rebrand connected the established Bankard card business more directly with RCBC before the later transition to the RCBC Credit Cards name.
Recent events
- 2022
RCBC Bankard rebrands as RCBC Credit Cards[1]
Other
The card business changed its name from RCBC Bankard to RCBC Credit Cards on September 29, 2022.
- 2007
Bankard adopts the RCBC Bankard name[1]
M&A · Other
Following the completion of RCBC's acquisition of the Bankard business in December 2006, the company rebranded as RCBC Bankard.
- 1995
Bankard becomes the first Philippine credit-card company listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange[1]
Other
Bankard, Inc. completed a public listing on the Philippine Stock Exchange, a milestone described as the first listing of a Philippine credit-card company.
Sources1 sources
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