State Bank of Vietnam publishes forum takeaways including calls for bank M&A and a review of foreign ownership limits

The State Bank of Vietnam published a report on a Banking Times forum on positioning Vietnamese brands globally, highlighting international experts’ view that Vietnamese banks need to pair a solid financial base with stronger innovation, customer experience and technology adoption in a more competitive digital environment. At the event on 5 May 2025, Professor John Quelch assessed Vietnam’s banking sector as developing relatively healthily, crediting diversified competition and the central bank’s supervisory role, and cited system indicators including total deposits of around USD 600bn, inflation of 4% and a stable exchange rate. He proposed encouraging mergers and acquisitions to create banks large enough to invest in high-quality information technology and expand internationally, and suggested the State Bank of Vietnam consider easing foreign investment ratios for both state-owned commercial banks and joint-stock commercial banks. Peter Verhoeven of Anax Invest argued that trust is the defining attribute of a banking brand, calling for stronger public-sector supervision alongside tighter internal controls, and pointed to adoption of international standards such as Basel III and beyond, improved audit practices, prudent lending and more rigorous borrower financial assessment; he also emphasised data oversight and customer journey management as priorities for sustaining trust and service quality.