TPBank becomes first Vietnamese bank to receive ICXS2019 certification

Recently, TPBank became the first bank in Vietnam to receive the International Customer Experience Standard 2019 (ICXS2019) certification from the British Standards Institution (BSI), along with the top rating “International Excellence.” The result reflects the bank’s transformation journey, with customer experience placed at the center of its operations.

Cause: Turning customer experience into a measurable operating system

In banking, customer experience has long been cited as a key goal. However, converting it into a measurable, auditable, and continuously improvable operating system is difficult.

ICXS2019 is described as one of the most stringent international standards. It uses a seven-pillar system that covers policy, product, operating procedures, channels, people, data, and how the organization measures and improves performance.

Assessment under ICXS2019 requires evidence. Rather than reviewing documents only, evaluators directly query and randomly inspect real cases to verify that designed processes match actual implementation.

Development: Preparation and organization-wide alignment

To meet the standard’s requirements, TPBank completed more than 70 days of preparation involving over 30 departments. The process was characterized as a comprehensive review and realignment of policies, processes, and how each part of the organization serves customers.

TPBank also positioned customer experience as a core consideration across all operational decisions, rather than limiting it to a single department. Under this approach, every process, product, and customer touchpoint must demonstrate that it genuinely benefits customers.

Data and results: Score and certification outcome

TPBank achieved a total score of 93.63% and received the rating “International Excellence.” The bank said the outcome reflects not only improvements at individual touchpoints, but also synchronization of the entire system to the same standard.

Mr. Inayat Farugui, a BSI Global expert, assessed TPBank’s system as impressive for its synchronization and effective implementation, noting that the bank’s experience-management system operates in a synchronized manner and delivers peak performance in key areas. He also cited alignment between leadership commitment and staff initiative as a foundation for a customer-service culture.

Impact: Customer journey ownership and real-time listening

ICXS2019 emphasizes that the bank must own the entire customer journey and focus on “moments of happiness”—touchpoints that create positive emotions in the experience. Service is therefore expected to go beyond completing transactions to delivering timely, needs-based support.

The bank’s customer listening system operates in real time using tools such as Voice of Customer. Feedback is recorded and processed faster, with the aim of reducing waiting and follow-ups.

TPBank also said that designing products and services around real needs, with clear and easy-to-understand information, helps customers take a more proactive role in financial decisions.

Analysis and outlook: From understanding to forecasting needs

Mr. Nguyen Hung, TPBank’s CEO, said that enhancing customer experience is not a short-term objective but a guiding principle across the bank’s development. He added that the ICXS2019 certificate is not an end in itself, but a platform for further upgrades in the next phase.

The upcoming focus, according to TPBank, is to deepen technology capabilities—especially AI and big data—to move from understanding customer needs to forecasting them, enabling more personalized experiences.

The bank also referenced earlier recognition of its customer experience efforts in independent surveys, including ranking highly among wealthy and near-wealthy segments in Decision Lab’s Best Future Wealth Bank Ranking 2025 and being named Top 1 in the Vietnamese Customer Satisfaction Index 2025 by AASC & KMAC.

In a competitive market, TPBank said standards and certifications related to experience and customer satisfaction are becoming new measures of service quality, and that its goal is for customers to feel seamlessness, convenience, and being understood in every transaction—under its “Heartfelt Commitment.”