BUSINESS

RCBC 2025 profit climbs 11% on lending growth

Toby Magsaysay

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) posted a net income of P10.6 billion in 2025, up 11 percent from the previous year, driven largely by growth in lending and stronger fee-based revenues. The results reflect continued expansion in the bank’s core businesses despite a more cautious credit environment.

In a disclosure, the bank said net interest income — the difference between what banks earn from loans and what they pay depositors — rose 32 percent year-on-year. This helped push RCBC’s net interest margin to 4.77 percent, up 89 basis points, indicating improved profitability from its lending activities.

Gross loans increased by about 7 percent during the year, supported by strong demand for consumer financing. Retail lending accounted for nearly half of the bank’s loan portfolio, with credit card receivables alone jumping 32 percent as RCBC expanded its card base and deepened customer engagement. The bank said data analytics and targeted marketing campaigns helped sustain double-digit growth in card usage and balances.

The bank added that service fees and commissions, another key source of bank income outside traditional lending, grew 25 percent as more customers used RCBC’s payment services, cards, and digital banking channels.

Profitability indicators improved alongside revenue growth. Return on equity — a measure of how efficiently a bank generates profit from shareholders’ capital — rose to 6.65 percent, while return on assets reached 0.81 percent, showing better use of the bank’s balance sheet.

Total assets reached about P1.4 trillion at the end of 2025, supported by P1 trillion in deposits. More than half of these were CASA deposits, or current and savings accounts, which are considered low-cost funding sources that help banks maintain healthy lending margins.

To further strengthen its balance sheet, RCBC raised P32.4 billion through sustainability bonds. These debt instruments fund projects with environmental and social benefits while also diversifying the bank’s funding base.

RCBC said it also continued investing heavily in digital infrastructure. During the year, the bank rolled out payment innovations such as Google Pay access for cardholders and “Tap-to-Phone” technology, which allows merchants to accept card payments using smartphones without the need for traditional point-of-sale terminals.