The 1980s was a very significant decade in the bank; in 1982 it officially decided to adopt the history of the Philippine Bank of Commerce, resulting in it becoming the first Filipino-owned private commercial bank in the country. It established its ExpressPadala Center in Ermita, and pioneered the remittance business in the country. In 1983, it decided to change the "I" in PCIBank from "Industrial" to "International", to reflect the wide foreign office network of the bank. In 1985, it merged with the Insular Bank of Asia and America.