At the official announcement in Hanoi on December 21, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính described the establishment of Vietnam’s International Financial Centre (IFC) as a pivotal moment for the nation to open its doors wider to fintech integration, sustainable finance, and economic transformation. He emphasized that the IFC marks the beginning of a new phase of innovation in scale, quality, and efficiency for Vietnam’s financial markets—creating far-reaching ripple effects across all sectors of the economy. Calling on businesses and investors to remain confident, resilient, and united amid global challenges, the Prime Minister underscored the IFC’s role as a strategic launchpad enabling Vietnamese enterprises to strengthen cooperation and expand their reach across the region and the world.

Launching the Executive Council on the establishment of the International Financial Center (IFC) in Vietnam on December 21

FinFan Welcomes a New Era for Cross-Border Finance and Global Connectivity

FinFan warmly welcomes the Government of Vietnam’s official announcement on the establishment of the International Financial Centres (IFCs) in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, marking a defining milestone in Vietnam’s journey toward becoming a regional and global financial hub.

As an active member of Vietnam’s fintech ecosystem and a participant in the national regulatory sandbox framework, FinFan views the launch of the IFCs not merely as an economic initiative, but as a strategic national platform to elevate Vietnam’s financial infrastructure, governance standards, and cross-border competitiveness.

IFCs as National Infrastructure for a New Phase of Integration

The establishment of IFCs reflects Vietnam’s long-term vision to transition from fragmented, corridor-based financial activity into a cohesive, internationally interoperable financial system. These centres are designed to anchor Vietnam’s role in global trade, investment flows, and digital finance—while maintaining strong regulatory discipline and financial stability.

Beyond physical districts, IFCs represent a policy and infrastructure commitment to:

• Modernize national financial rails,
• Attract high-quality global institutions and capital, and
• Enable Vietnamese enterprises to integrate more deeply into regional and global value chains.

For fintech firms operating within regulatory sandboxes, IFCs also provide a structured environment where innovation, compliance, and supervisory collaboration can advance in parallel—supporting sustainable growth rather than speculative expansion.

Cross-Border Finance Trends Shaping the IFC Agenda

As IFCs move from policy design to operational reality, global financial trends point to several priority areas that will shape their long-term relevance:

• Cross-border digital payments and settlement modernization, where speed, transparency, and cost efficiency increasingly define competitiveness.
• API-driven financial infrastructure, enabling interoperability between banks, payment institutions, wallets, and enterprise platforms.
• Virtual accounts and programmable finance, supporting SMEs, exporters, freelancers, and digital-first businesses operating across jurisdictions.
• Data-led compliance and AI-enabled operations, strengthening AML/CFT effectiveness while reducing operational friction.
• The convergence of traditional finance and digital assets, particularly in regulated, enterprise-grade use cases such as treasury, reconciliation, and settlement.

Together, these trends reinforce the importance of IFCs as connective financial platforms, rather than isolated financial zones.

FinFan’s Role: Infrastructure Leadership with National Responsibility

FinFan approaches the IFC journey with a strong sense of social and institutional responsibility, recognizing that fintech innovation must serve national objectives, regulatory integrity, and economic inclusion.

As one of Vietnam’s pioneer cross-border fintech infrastructure providers—and the country’s top aggregator connecting banks, payment institutions, and global financial rails—FinFan has positioned itself as a foundational technology layer within the evolving financial ecosystem. Today, FinFan is increasingly recognized as a brand of choice by major regional and global partners seeking compliant access to Vietnam’s fast-growing cross-border economy. FinFan has integrated with hundreds billions dollars brands as Visa, Ripple, Circle, Money Gram, Ria Financial/ Euronet, Lightning/Neutron, PayPal, Remitly, World Remit, …

Positioned as a financial connectivity and infrastructure provider, FinFan focuses on building the technical rails that allow regulated institutions and enterprises to access global financial networks efficiently and transparently. Through partnerships with licensed banks, payment institutions, and international service providers, FinFan supports:

• Compliant cross-border disbursement and collection,
• Virtual account connectivity for enterprises,
• Reconciliation and reporting layers aligned with regulatory frameworks, and
• Scalable infrastructure that reduces friction for internationally active Vietnamese businesses.

FinFan does not hold customer funds or perform banking functions. Instead, it contributes as a technology and connectivity layer, designed to integrate seamlessly with authorized institutions under existing laws and supervisory oversight.

Within the context of the IFCs, this role supports three national outcomes:

• Lowering barriers for Vietnamese enterprises to access global markets,
• Enhancing transparency and traceability of cross-border financial flows, and
• Strengthening Vietnam’s reputation as a reliable, well-governed financial connectivity hub.

A Founder’s Long-Term Vision for National Financial Infrastructure

At the core of FinFan’s strategy is the long-standing vision of its founder: to help build Vietnam’s cross-border financial infrastructure as a national asset, not a short-term commercial opportunity. Guided by the belief that modern financial rails are as critical as ports, highways, and digital networks, this vision has consistently shaped FinFan’s focus on compliant, scalable, and future-ready systems.

The broader aspiration is clear—to see Vietnam emerge not only as a participant in global finance, but as a trusted connector in the international flow of capital and commerce.

A Shared Commitment to Vietnam’s Financial Future

FinFan believes the success of the Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City IFCs will be measured not only by capital inflows, but by the quality of infrastructure, governance, and ecosystem collaboration they foster.

As Vietnam enters this new chapter, FinFan reaffirms its commitment to working closely with regulators, financial institutions, and ecosystem partners—contributing responsibly to a future-ready, internationally connected, and nationally beneficial financial system.