VNBA leverages affiliated units to optimize the support for its members

The conference brought together senior leaders from VNBA and member credit institutions. Representing the VNBA leadership were Vice Chairmen: Mr. Tran Van Dung (Member of the Board of Members, Agribank), Mr. Do Viet Hung (Member of the Board of Directors, Vietcombank), Ms. Vu Thi Hai Phuong (Vice Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, MBBank); along with Dr. Nguyen Quoc Hung (former Vice Chairman cum Secretary General of VNBA, Term VII).

Attending on behalf of the Association Council were: Mr. Nguyen Thanh Do (Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, HDBank), Mr. Nguyen Hong Quan (Senior Expert, TPBank), and Mr. Nguyen Tuan Luong (Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, VNPAY).

Representing the affiliated Committees, Clubs were:

• Mr. Le Thanh Tung – Head of the Risk Committee, Member of the Board of Directors, VietinBank.

• Mr. Tran Cong Quynh Lan – Head of the Technology Committee, Deputy General Director, VietinBank.

• Mr. Tran Trung Dung – Head of the Debt Resolution Club, Chairman of the Board of Members, VAMC.

• Mr. Nguyen Dinh Duc – Head of the Consumer Finance Club, Deputy General Director, HD SAISON.

• Mr. Nguyen Dang Hung – Head of the VietFintech Club, Deputy General Director, NAPAS.

• Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong – Head of the Legal Affairs Club, Director of the Legal Department, BIDV.

• Mr. Le Hong Phuc – Vice Chairman of the Card Sub-Asscociation, Deputy General Director, Agribank.

The meeting was also attended by Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan (Head of the Legal and Professional Department, VNBA standing Agency), various members of the Committees, Clubs, and Affiliates, as well as representatives from the VNBA Standing Agency.

The core role of affiliated units

Presenting an overview at the meeting, Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan stated that the ecosystem of affiliated organizations currently comprises three specialized Committees (Policy, Technology, Risk) and five entities (Card sub-Association, Legal Affairs Club, Debt Resolution Club, Consumer Finance Club, and VietFintech Club). Recently, these units have excelled in their in-depth advisory roles for the Association Council, acting as a crucial bridge between VNBA and member organizations, and playing a vital role in policy critique and the protection of credit institutions' legitimate rights.

Promoting policy advisory, anticipating technological trends

During the discussion session, representatives presented their operational results and strategic focuses:

• The Policy Committee (represented by Mr. Do Viet Hung): In 2025, the Committee organized multiple forums providing input on the amended Law on Credit Institutions, green finance, and the digital banking ecosystem. The 2026 plan will continue to intensify policy research and organize seminars on data governance, digital transformation, cybersecurity, deposit insurance, and financial transparency. Mr. Hung emphasized the importance of balancing the collective interests of members with state management requirements.

• The Technology Committee (represented by Mr. Tran Cong Quynh Lan): Acknowledged for practical contributions to the draft documents of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and the Ministry of Science & Technology. In 2026, the Committee will adhere to four main pillars: Data & AI, technology infrastructure, information security, and Open Banking. Specialized task forces will be established to enhance the sharing of practical experiences.

• The Risk Committee (represented by Mr. Le Thanh Tung): Actively critiqued risk management documents. The upcoming strategic focus is building an industry-wide risk data-sharing mechanism, developing professional manuals, and promoting cooperation with international organizations (e.g., PwC, KPMG) to stay abreast of global risk management trends.

• The Card sub-Association (represented by Mr. Le Hong Phuc): Proposed solutions for engaging with international card organizations to enhance information transparency, adjust fee structures, and recommend appropriate policy mechanisms for ATM/CDM operations.

• The Legal Affairs Club (represented by Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong): Reported on extensive efforts in reviewing and critiquing numerous draft Laws, Decrees, and Circulars, thereby contributing to a robust legal framework for banking operations.

• Regarding the handling of non-performing loans (NPLs), representatives from the NPL Resolution Club stated that this sector is facing numerous challenges as the banking system's NPLs continue to increase in both scale and complexity. In this context, the role of the NPL Resolution Club and VAMC needs to be further enhanced, aiming to become a central hub connecting, coordinating, and supporting NPL resolution activities throughout the banking industry. The NPL Resolution Club is committed to promoting the application of technology, data, and artificial intelligence in NPL resolution activities, alongside standardizing data across the entire system. To achieve these goals, the Club wishes to strengthen cooperation with the Legal Affairs Club, the Technology Committee, and the Risk Committee to improve operational efficiency and create additional value for member organizations.

• In the field of fintech, the Vietnam Banking Fintech Club believes that during the past term, it focused on two key objectives: building a forum to connect the fintech business community and promoting its role as a bridge between fintech businesses and state management agencies, especially the State Bank of Vietnam, through the Banking Association, in order to contribute to and improve the legal framework for the fintech sector. In the future, the Vietnam Banking Fintech Club will continue to promote member networking, expand international cooperation, and contribute to the implementation of controlled testing mechanisms (sandboxes) in the banking sector.

• Regarding the consumer finance sector, the Consumer Finance Companies Club recognizes that it still faces many challenges, particularly in risk management and debt recovery, due to the nature of loans that are mostly unsecured. Therefore, the Consumer Finance Club hopes to continue receiving support from the State Bank of Vietnam and the Vietnam Banking Association in perfecting mechanisms and policies suitable to the industry's specific characteristics. The Club also identifies communication and financial education as a crucial task to raise public awareness of the role of consumer finance, contributing to the healthy development of the market, while promoting the development of a shared database to enhance information sharing, prevent fraud, and improve risk management efficiency.

Speaking at the meeting, Ms. Vu Thi Hai Phuong, Vice President of the Vietnam Banking Association and Vice President of the MB Board of Directors, highly appreciated the role and contributions of the committees, clubs, and branches under the Banking Association during the past term. The participating members are all experienced professionals who, despite holding multiple positions within their respective organizations, still dedicate time and resources to support the Association, thereby effectively assisting in the representation and implementation of the industry's overall tasks.

Ms. Phuong also expressed her hope that the Association will continue to play a bridging role between regulatory agencies and credit institutions, contributing to harmonizing international standards with the practical conditions of the Vietnamese market, and supporting the safe and sustainable development of the banking system.

Mr. Tran Van Dung, Vice President of the Vietnam Banking Association and Member of the Board of Directors of Agribank, expressed his confidence that with the prestige, experience, and capabilities of the new leadership, the Banking Association's activities in the next term will be more favorable, and the Association's voice will carry more weight with regulatory agencies, especially the State Bank of Vietnam, in reflecting and resolving the industry's difficulties.

He also suggested that the Association should continue to promote its role in representing the common interests of its members, the banking community, and customers, while strengthening its recommendations to address shortcomings in mechanisms and policies to create a more equal and favorable operating environment for credit institutions.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Hong Quan, a member of the Association's Council, stated that, given the increasingly interconnected nature of industry issues, strengthening coordination among units will help maximize resource utilization, avoid duplication in activities, and better meet the needs of members.

At the same time, Mr. Quan also suggested that the Association needs to be more flexible and timely in addressing emerging issues in the industry's operations; strengthen its role as a bridge, creating a forum for dialogue between credit institutions and regulatory agencies on newly arising issues, thereby supporting members in policy implementation and risk management.

Acknowledging the achievements, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Do, Member of the Council of the Vietnam Banking Association and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of HDBank, suggested that committees, clubs, and permanent agencies need to strengthen coordination further, especially in providing feedback on policies, drafting laws, and handling issues in the banking sector.

Commenting on the operational direction, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Hung, former Vice President and General Secretary of VNBA during its 7th term, highly appreciated the role of specialized units in supporting members. However, he also noted that these units need to review their work programs, clearly assign responsibilities, and coordinate closely with the Standing Committee to avoid duplication of content and ensure the efficient use of organizational resources. At the same time, the Committees, Clubs, and Card Chapters under his jurisdiction need to be more proactive in identifying and reporting difficulties and obstacles arising from banking operations, so that VNBA has a basis for compiling and making recommendations to state management agencies and participating in the development of policies that are appropriate to reality.

Delivering his concluding remarks, Dr. Dao Minh Tu acknowledged and highly appreciated the achievements of the respective units. He affirmed that the Committees, Clubs, and Branches are the core forces, the "extended arms" that enable VNBA to promptly grasp the operational realities of credit institutions, thereby identifying bottlenecks and proposing solutions to regulatory agencies.

Dr. Dao Minh Tu requested that the units continue to build upon their achievements, strengthen cross-functional coordination, and further elevate their representative capacity and member support. Particularly as the entire industry drastically accelerates digital transformation, optimizes risk management, and strives toward sustainable development goals, the close accompaniment of these affiliated units will make practical contributions to the safe and efficient development of the Vietnamese banking system.

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