A view of Vietnam Digital Finance 2026. — VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The digital transformation of the finance sector is entering a new phase of development that will require an intelligent, secure, connected and sustainable digital financial ecosystem in the next few years, officials said at an event on Thursday.

At the Vietnam Digital Finance 2026 Conference in Hà Nội, Nguyễn Việt Hà, director of the Ministry of Finance’s Department of Information Technology and Digital Transformation, said that the finance sector previously focused on digitising processes, building system infrastructure and migrating services to digital platforms. However, the new phase of development in the 2026-2030 period requires a significant leap forward, Hà said.

“In the 2026-2030 period, the finance sector must treat data as a core resource; adopt connectivity and sharing as its operational mode; use AI and digital technologies as powerful tools; and measure success by the effectiveness of governance and the quality of service provided to citizens and businesses,” the director noted.

He said that in the next few years, the finance sector must focus on successfully executing four major transformations: shifting from digitisation to data-driven management; moving from isolated AI applications to building comprehensive AI capabilities across the entire sector; transitioning from standalone and closed technology systems to a seamlessly connected and interoperable ecosystem; and shifting from a ‘security as an afterthought’ mindset to the principle of ‘security by design.’

According to Hà, the finance sector manages a vast data landscape spanning areas such as the State budget, taxation, customs, the treasury, securities, public assets, corporate affairs, investment, statistics and social insurance.

“What matters is not merely the volume of data we possess, but whether that data is accurate, sufficient, clean, dynamic, consistent, interconnected and actionable. Data must truly become an asset and a resource that supports analysis, forecasting, policymaking and decision-making,” Hà said.

However, he noted that given the specific nature of the finance sector, it should not pursue technology at any cost. AI solutions must address real-world challenges, deliver measurable results and be carried out based on reliable data while ensuring controllability, accountability and security.

"Our stance is that digital transformation must go hand in hand with digital safety; innovation must be accompanied by risk management; and data utilisation must be paired with data protection," he said.

Senior Colonel Hà Nam Trung, deputy director of the Ministry of Public Security’s National Data Centre, told attendees at the event that successfully building a comprehensive digital financial ecosystem requires a strong focus on key strategic directions.

Trung said that data must truly serve as the foundational infrastructure and a core tool for analysis, forecasting and management across the entire digital financial ecosystem.

“The financial sector must undergo a significant shift from merely possessing databases to maximising value extraction from data. The use and reuse of financial data must be regarded as a key solution for streamlining administrative procedures and maximising cost savings for citizens and businesses,” he noted.

The Digital Finance Expo was held on the sidelines of the event. —VNS Photo

According to Trung, the digital financial ecosystem must also be built upon a foundation of connectivity and multi-source data utilisation, operating within a secure and strictly controlled model. Data security, safety, management, supervision and auditing must be integrated from the very beginning and maintained throughout the entire data lifecycle.

Trung said that Việt Nam currently possesses vital foundations for a breakthrough, ranging from a comprehensive legal framework on data and the National Data Centre infrastructure to the major databases of the Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Vietnam.

“The central challenge in the coming period lies not in the volume of data available, but in whether that data is of sufficient quality, interoperable and capable of generating practical value,” he noted.

At the event, Nguyễn Hoàng Minh, CEO of FPT Corporation’s FPT IS, spoke about the finance sector’s AI-first roadmap to 2030.

FPT is working with the finance sector on its AI transformation journey by assessing the AI maturity level of units under the ministry according to the Curious, Augmented, Standard, Automated and Native (CASAN) framework. 

It is also providing domestic computing infrastructure and GPU Cloud and finance-specific language models along with an AI Agent platform, while ensuring compliance with data protection and State secrecy regulations, Minh said.

On the sidelines of the event, the Digital Finance Expo was held to display the latest advances in AI, data intelligence, cloud, cybersecurity, digital identity, intelligent automation, digital payments, RegTech and InsurTech, which support the ongoing evolution of the financial sector.

To carry out major policies of the Party and the Government, such as Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation, the Ministry of Finance is spearheading digital transformation initiative with an aim to build a modern, transparent, efficient and secure digital finance system that relies on data as the foundation for all management decisions. — BIZHUB/VNS