The launch ceremony was held on February 11 and attended by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, senior government officials, Ho Chi Minh City leaders, and representatives from international organisations, banks, investment funds, major corporations, academics and the wider business community.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that as the global economy undergoes restructuring, strategic competition intensifies and capital flows shift towards new hubs, the creation of an international financial centre in Vietnam was “an essential requirement” and a breakthrough move.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the launch ceremony of the Vietnam International Financial Centre on the morning of February 11 (Photo: Organising Committee).
He said an international financial centre was not only a place where capital concentrates, but also a form of “soft infrastructure” that helps allocate resources, provide modern financial instruments, improve national competitiveness and support Vietnam’s transition from a “capital recipient” to a “market co-creator”.
The chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Nguyen Van Duoc, said the centre was not a standalone project but a long-term mission tied to the city’s ambition to strengthen its position on the regional and global financial map.
He said the city needed new growth drivers to maintain its role as Vietnam’s economic locomotive, with finance, capital markets and modern financial services expected to play a central role.
Officials said the centre would follow an open ecosystem model, closely linked to the real economy and supporting capital needs for infrastructure, industry, logistics, green transition, innovation and smart urban development in Ho Chi Minh City and nationwide.
Seven founding members and six strategic members announced
At the ceremony, the centre introduced its founding and strategic members and issued commitment certificates.
The seven founding members are Sovico Group; Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MB); Tien Phong Commercial Joint Stock Bank (TPBank); Saigon – Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB); Son Kim Capital; VinaCapital; and Nasdaq.
The six strategic members are Nam A Bank; the Ho Chi Minh City State Financial Investment Company; the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City; the On-chain Economy Alliance; Gemadept Group; and TikTok.
Organisers said the participating institutions would play a core role in shaping the centre’s market structure, product ecosystem, training high-quality human resources, developing operational standards and building VIFC-HCMC’s international reputation.