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International capital flows are increasingly prioritizing transparency, governance, and operational capability standards, making higher governance requirements a prerequisite for banks seeking deeper integration. This is also viewed as a foundation for Vietnamese banks to strengthen competitiveness, improve credibility, and move closer to international operating norms.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Tho, Deputy General Director of Strategy, Risk and Transaction Advisory Services at Deloitte Vietnam, even before discussing international integration, banks have already needed to raise governance and transparency standards to meet rising domestic demands.
She pointed to Circular 41/2025/TT-NHNN and Circular 83/2025/TT-NHNN as examples of tighter risk governance standards. These regulations require banks to increase capital adequacy, strengthen governance, and invest heavily in internal policies, procedures, and internal control systems.
Ms. Tho also highlighted that the Internal Based Rating (IBR) model must be built, operated, and supervised in line with the State Bank of Vietnam’s requirements and adapted to each bank’s characteristics. She said these requirements are highly integrated with Basel III and align with practices in developed markets.
“Banks are now caught between a gentle push to comply with mandatory requirements and using this as motivation to transform into a better version that supports sustainable and international-standard growth,” Ms. Tho said.
Deloitte Vietnam’s representative said future standards for banks are expected to rise further, particularly as Vietnam enters a development phase and promotes large-scale projects such as building two International Financial Centers in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. She argued that only banks with sufficient resources and strong governance will be able to participate.
As enterprises participate more deeply in global supply chains, demand for financial services changes. Ms. Tho said this forces banks to transform in order to compete and retain high-quality customers.
She said the first change is compliance with legal requirements. Banks must not only meet domestic regulations but also upgrade systems to align with international standards in the markets where enterprises operate. This includes reviewing and adjusting standards for project assessment, enterprise evaluation, and anti-money laundering.
Alongside compliance, Ms. Tho emphasized the need to invest in technology systems. She said technology investment can shorten processing times for approvals, support decision-making, and improve accuracy while better reflecting enterprise needs.
She noted that previously, it was rare for banks to use AML systems from well-known vendors. In the current context, banks are actively investing to apply higher standards to support enterprises’ deeper participation in global supply chains.
To connect with and access international capital, Ms. Tho emphasized two core factors: governance transparency and responsible technology adoption.
She said transparency should be a guiding principle in banking operations. Financial institutions need consistent standards across all units and should proactively disclose governance information alongside financial statements.
She also cited the implementation of standards such as IFRS 9, Basel II and Basel III as a foundational basis to improve credibility and connect with international capital markets.
On technology, Ms. Tho said banks should continue assessing and applying controlled tools such as AI to speed up processing and improve operational accuracy. However, she stressed that AI must be used responsibly—from deployment and tuning to monitoring—to ensure transparency and effectiveness.
According to Deloitte’s AI in Business 2026 survey, organizations have not yet exhausted AI’s potential. The survey found that 25% of executives said AI is creating transformative impact on their organization, double the figure from the previous year.
Ms. Tho said the gap between leading banks and those that do not focus enough on governance and risk management is widening. Rather than differentiating by size, she argued that banks should be assessed on whether their governance is strong enough.
She said that beyond financial strength, banks must invest in governance, data, technology, and human resources. Deloitte Vietnam recommends banks should not chase asset growth, scale, or profits alone, but balance resources to reinvest in people, data systems, technology, and governance capabilities.
She also noted that differences between leading banks and others can be observed through Moody’s ratings, and customers can feel the gap through service experience, advisory quality, and process optimization.
In building internationally standardized systems, Ms. Tho said banks can optimize resources and enhance their ability to connect with quality partners in international markets, improving access to more stable and effective funding.
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