The “Outstanding Retail Bank 2026” award recognises VIB’s achievements after nearly a decade of transformation. — Photos courtesy of the bank

HÀ NỘI — Vietnam International Bank (VIB) has been named 'Outstanding Retail Bank 2026' at the Vietnam Banking Awards, as the lender seeks to build on nearly a decade of retail banking growth and expand its presence in transaction banking.

 Marking 30 years of operations, VIB's retail credit grew at an average annual rate of 23 per cent from 2017 to 2025, about 1.6 times the industry average.

The bank said it became one of five banks in the country with more than one million credit cards in 2025, whilst annual card spending was about 17 times higher than in 2018. VIB ranked among the country's top three banks by card spending, with average spending per cardholder about 50 per cent above the market average, it said.

The lender has focused on retail banking since 2017, restructuring its product development, distribution, technology and risk-management operations around individual customer needs.

VIB's total assets grew at an average annual rate of 21 per cent between 2017 and 2025, while profit increased by 26 per cent a year on average, it said.

The bank said it is using technology and data to expand personalised financial services across cards, deposits, home loans and digital banking.

Driving personalised banking

Figures show VIB’s annual business performance.

VIB said its retail banking strategy is built around three pillars: financial benefits, customer experience and technology, with products and services designed to meet customers' changing financial needs.

The bank offers customers flexibility in choosing benefits and financial solutions. Its One Card and Max Card products allow customers to change monthly benefit categories or select fee packages based on their needs.

Its deposit products are also designed to provide flexibility in managing cash flows, including Super Accounts, which offer daily returns of up to 8 per cent a year, and certificates of deposit with interest payment terms of one, three, six or 12 months.

On customer experience, VIB aims to give clients greater control over banking services and products. Its MyVIB platform brings together everyday banking needs, whilst the Max app allows customers to open cards, manage benefits, apply for instalment plans and cash loans, track applications and sign contracts online.

In home lending, VIB offers flexible repayment and interest-rate options, including principal repayments starting from VNĐ1 million (US$39) a month for every VNĐ1 billion borrowed during the initial years and fixed interest rates for up to five years.

In 2025, about 97 per cent of individual customer transactions were conducted through digital channels, VIB said. Eligible home-loan applications can be approved within four to eight hours, whilst online applications for credit cards and unsecured loans can be processed within five to 15 minutes.

VIB has also invested in its core banking and data infrastructure under a 'Mobile First-Cloud First-AI First' strategy. The bank uses generative artificial intelligence in its digital banking services, including its ViePro assistant, chatbot and voicebot.

The lender said it was the first bank in Việt Nam to apply artificial intelligence to personalise credit cards through Visa's 'Breakthrough Personalisation with AI' solution.

From retail strength to transaction banking

VIB was recognised as Việt Nam’s best bank for homeowners in 2025 by Euromoney.

VIB said its next phase of growth would focus on transaction banking, seeking to connect everyday financial activities such as salary payments, purchases, tuition payments, travel and savings with a broader range of banking services.

The strategy aims to extend the bank's retail customer relationships into customers' daily cash flows and deepen its role in their longer-term financial decisions, VIB said. — VNS