Attending the meeting were Dr. Nguyen Quoc Hung – Vice Chairman and Secretary General of VNBA; Ms. Daw Khin Saw Oo – Chairwoman of MBA; Ms. Kyi Kyi Than – Chairwoman of the Myanmar Oriental Bank (MOB); together with representatives of VNBA’s departments and units.
Dr. Nguyen Quoc Hung – Vice Chairman and Secretary General of VNBA
In her remarks, Ms. Daw Khin Saw Oo expressed appreciation for the warm reception and informed that Myanmar will host the 24th ASEAN Bankers Association Conference on November 19, followed by three specialized committee meetings on November 20, and the 53rd ABA Council Meeting on November 21. On this occasion, she formally invited Dr. Nguyen Quoc Hung and the VNBA delegation to attend. She also noted that the conference program will include two panel discussions, one of which will focus on digital transformation, and she encouraged VNBA to nominate a speaker to share Vietnam’s experience in this field.
Ms. Daw Khin Saw Oo – Chairperson of MBA
Responding, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Hung extended his gratitude and best wishes to the Chairperson of MBA and the delegation. He affirmed that VNBA has planned to send a delegation to attend the 24th ABA Conference in Myanmar and stands ready to cooperate and support related activities as proposed by MBA, while also consulting with VNBA’s member banks and reporting to leadership for official confirmation in due course.
Dr. Hung emphasized that, given the current uncertain global context, Vietnamese banks have adopted a cautious approach, limiting broad communications and only implementing activities and transactions within a well-defined legal framework. Issues that remain unclear will be deferred to avoid risks for the system as a whole.
He further underlined that all activities must comply with internal processes as well as international standards (MATF). In Myanmar, BIDV’s cooperation agreements continue to be implemented smoothly, with close coordination alongside partners in the region such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
Dr. Hung reaffirmed VNBA’s commitment to continued coordination with MBA, to exchange and share information on issues of common concern, and to jointly address obstacles within the scope of each side’s authority.
From the Myanmar side, it was noted that the QR code payment platform has been operational since February 2024 and is expected to soon expand to connect with Vietnam. Myanmar expressed its wish to accelerate the signing of a bilateral payment agreement with Vietnam while also pursuing similar mechanisms with other regional countries.
Regarding domestic developments, Ms. Daw Khin Saw Oo shared that Myanmar plans to hold a general election in December 2025 with the participation of 36 political parties. She expressed the hope that, following the election, the political and economic environment will become more stable, creating favorable conditions for bilateral and multilateral financial and banking cooperation.
She also highly valued the role of VNBA in regional cooperation, affirming that the active participation of Myanmar banks in ABA activities demonstrates both the credibility and responsibility of Myanmar’s banking system in the integration process.
Concluding the meeting, the leaders of both Associations agreed to maintain regular exchanges and information sharing, while expressing hope that VNBA and MBA will continue to promote closer cooperation among their member banks in the time ahead.
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