VIB named Outstanding Retail Bank 2026, targets transaction banking

Photo: VIB

The award was presented on September 30 as VIB marks 30 years of development. The recognition reflects the bank's efforts to innovate products, services, and retail experiences.

Since focusing on retail banking in 2017, VIB has transformed its product design, business organisation, and technology investment, translating into retail credit growth above the industry average and stronger customer connectivity.

From 2017 to 2025, VIB's retail credit grew at an average annual rate of 23 per cent, about 1.6 times the industry average, demonstrating a resilient growth engine.

In cards, VIB became one of five banks in Vietnam with one million credit cards in 2025, while annual spending rose approximately 17 times compared with 2018. The bank ranked among the top three for card spending, with average spending per cardholder around 50 per cent higher than the market average.

Behind these results is VIB's ability to organise its business around customers, developing specialised models for different needs. For home lending, solutions are designed around repayment capacity; for cards, benefits are linked to spending behaviour; and for deposits, yields are aligned with cash flow needs.

Technology and talent bring these designs to life, enabling VIB to scale while maintaining service quality and risk control. During the same period, total assets grew at an average annual rate of 21 per cent, while profit grew by 26 per cent per year on average.

The success of the transformation is reflected in the bank's business performance and in the capabilities it has built – understanding customer needs, developing solutions, operating efficiently, and serving customers at scale. This provides the foundation for VIB to expand value from individual products to the entire customer relationship.

VIB builds its retail banking advantage on three pillars: financial benefits, customer experience, and technology. Product flexibility is connected with service speed and operational capabilities, bringing personalisation across multiple financial needs.

On benefits, VIB brings flexibility into solution design. One Card and Max Card allow customers to change monthly benefit categories or select fee packages suited to their needs. Deposit solutions expand options for generating returns based on cash flow plans, including Super Accounts with daily returns of up to 8 per cent per year, and flexible certificate of deposit products with interest payment terms of 1, 3, 6, or 12 months. For home lending, VIB offers flexible solutions throughout the homeownership journey, from principal repayments starting at VND1 million ($38.45) per month for every VND1 billion ($38,455) borrowed in the initial years, to fixed interest rates for up to five years.

Photo: VIB

VIB Up connects deposits, loans, and cards while offering preferential benefits through a membership model, with benefits determined by the overall level of customer engagement. Each additional product can enhance the value customers receive throughout their relationship with the bank.

On experience, VIB puts customers in control from accessing services to using products. MyVIB connects everyday banking needs, while Max enables customers to open cards, manage benefits, register for instalment plans and cash loans online, track applications, and sign contracts within the app. In 2025, 97 per cent of individual customer transactions were conducted through digital channels, and home lending approval time has been shortened to approximately 4–8 hours for eligible applications.

On technology, VIB has made integrated investments in core systems, data infrastructure, and service channels under its 'Mobile First – Cloud First – AI First' strategy. Modernising its core banking system on AWS, together with a unified data architecture, provides a foundation for scaling services and accelerating product development. On MyVIB, ViePro, powered by AWS GenAI, along with GenAI Chatbot and VoiceBot, provides 24/7 support in Vietnamese. Visa recognised VIB as the first bank in Vietnam to apply AI to personalise credit cards, and AI and scoring technology enable customers to apply entirely online for credit cards and unsecured loans within 5–15 minutes.

VIB Privilege Banking demonstrates how the three pillars converge in a single service model. Financial solutions are designed around cash flow needs; the Ownrora space on MyVIB uses AI to support asset allocation based on individual preferences; and Relationship Managers provide personalised advice aligned with each customer's goals. Lifestyle privileges further enhance the experience.

This model was recently recognised by Global Business Outlook as 'Most Innovative Privilege Banking – Vietnam 2026,' demonstrating how VIB's personalisation strategy has evolved beyond product-level choice to connect finance, technology, and advisory services across the entire customer relationship.

Photo: VIB

The capabilities VIB has built have taken the bank toward a broader ambition: to become a leading transaction bank through innovative solutions, personalised experiences, and deeper partnerships.

This direction extends VIB's retail banking strengths into customers' cash flows and everyday transactions – from receiving a salary to booking a trip or saving for a home. VIB aims to connect these needs so that banking services are conveniently available whenever customers need them, with solutions that adapt to their income, priorities, and life plans.

Nearly a decade of transformation has brought VIB above-market retail growth, a top-three position in card spending, and large-scale personalisation capabilities. The 'Outstanding Retail Bank 2026' award marks this achievement. Building on this foundation, VIB aims to transform its competitive strength in individual customer needs into a leading position in transaction banking – becoming an integral part of customers' everyday cash flows while accompanying them throughout their long-term financial decisions.

VIB 30 years: from digital transactions to personalised banking experiences VIB is marking its 30-year journey as the bank moves from digital transactions to personalised banking experiences.

VIB scales up operating footprint over 30 years Across 30 years in the business, VIB has scaled up its operating footprint, strengthening its position across the banking landscape.

VIB deploys Front Arena treasury and foreign exchange trading system on AWS On September 28, Vietnam International Bank put into operation its core system supporting treasury, foreign exchange, and financial-market trading activities, powered by Front Arena, the financial technology platform developed by FIS Global, on Amazon Web Services cloud infrastructure.