A VIB logo seen at a building in HCM City. —Photos courtesy of the bank

HÀ NỘI — Vietnam International Bank (VIB) reported pre-tax profit of nearly VNĐ7.6 trillion (US$288 million) in the first nine months of 2026, up 8 per cent from a year earlier, as operating income rose and expenses declined.

Total operating income increased 18 per cent year-on-year to more than VNĐ17.3 trillion, while operating expenses fell 2 per cent to more than VNĐ5.3 trillion, the bank said.

VIB's total assets reached nearly VNĐ600 trillion at the end of September, up 8 per cent from the start of the year. Outstanding loans rose 8 per cent to more than VNĐ411 trillion, while customer deposits increased 9 per cent to more than VNĐ322 trillion.

Retail and small and medium-sized enterprise customers accounted for 66 per cent of the bank's outstanding loans, with corporate customers and financial institutions making up the remaining 34 per cent.

VIB said it had introduced measures to reduce borrowing costs for businesses and individuals, including a VNĐ15 trillion preferential lending package for businesses that offers interest rate reductions of up to 1.5 percentage points per year.

The package targets priority sectors including supporting industries, public investment, renewable energy and exports.

For individual customers, the bank has reduced home loan rates by a further one percentage point per year in selected areas and offers fixed-rate periods of up to five years. It has also launched a VNĐ5 trillion car loan package with a fixed interest rate for the first 24 months and a capped rate thereafter.

The bank also cut deposit rates by up to 0.5 percentage points per year, mainly for terms longer than six months, in line with government and State Bank of Vietnam policies to lower lending costs.

Funding diversification and efficiency gains

VIB plans to raise around $1 billion in medium- and long-term funding in 2026 to diversify its funding sources and strengthen ties with international financial institutions.

VIB completed a $285 million, three-year syndicated loan on October 5, secured from nine financial institutions in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan (China) and Hong Kong (China). The cost of funds was about 30 basis points lower than that of its previous syndicated loan, it said.

The bank plans to raise around $1 billion in medium- and long-term funding in 2026 to diversify its funding sources and strengthen ties with international financial institutions.

Net interest income exceeded VNĐ13.18 trillion in the first nine months, while non-interest income accounted for 23 per cent of total operating income.

VIB recorded more than VNĐ4.3 trillion in credit loss provisions during the period. Its non-performing loan ratio stood at 2.29 per cent, while return on equity was 16.2 per cent. These results show that VIB continues to sustain profit growth while improving operating efficiency and maintaining a focus on risk management, strengthening a sustainable foundation for the next phases of growth.

Meanwhile, VIB's financial foundation was further strengthened, with prudential ratios maintained within regulatory limits. The bank's capital adequacy ratio under the Basel III standardised approach exceeded 11 per cent, compared with a regulatory minimum of 8 per cent. Its loan-to-deposit ratio was 77 per cent, below the regulatory ceiling of 85 per cent, while the ratio of short-term funding used for medium- and long-term lending was 20 per cent, against a maximum of 40 per cent.

VIB's net stable funding ratio under Basel III stood at 102 per cent.

Maintaining capital and liquidity ratios at appropriate levels gives VIB greater flexibility in balance sheet management while creating room to support credit growth and business development.

Retail banking and fiscal contributions

VIB retail banking business continued to receive industry recognition.

VIB said its retail banking business continued to receive industry recognition, including the “Outstanding Retail Bank 2026” award at the Vietnam Banking Awards in early October.

Its Max Card was recognised by Vietnam Records as the country's first credit card allowing customers to select their membership tier, while VIB One Card received the “Most Innovative Personalised Credit Card – VIB One Card – Vietnam 2026” award from International Finance. Its Privilege Banking service was also named “Most Innovative Privilege Banking – Vietnam 2026” by Global Business Outlook.

The bank paid VNĐ2.7 trillion to the state budget in 2025, bringing its total contributions from 2017 to 2025 to more than VNĐ17.2 trillion, it said.

VIB was named among Việt Nam's 25 largest private-sector taxpayers at VNTAX 2026, marking the third consecutive year it had received the recognition.

The bank said its next development phase, known as VIB 3.0, would focus on strengthening governance, optimising its operating model and expanding the use of technology, data and artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on customer experience and operational productivity. —VNS