MB chairman: Vietnam can be testing ground for globally scalable innovation

MB chairman: Vietnam can be testing ground for globally scalable innovation

Vietnam has a window of opportunity to unleash a new leap forward in labour productivity and national competitiveness thanks to science, technology, and innovation, according to the chairman of MB on July 29.

MB chairman Luu Trung Thai made the comments at the opening ceremony of the Vietnam Global Innovation Connect (VGIC) 2026. He said that technology only truly has meaning when it addresses real-world problems and brings tangible values for people, businesses, and the economy.

He called for the global intellectual community, scientists, startups, and tech firms to bring innovative ideas to Vietnam, including MB, to jointly research, test, and realise them in practical applications.

“10 years ago, the bank faced fierce competition from organisations with superior networks, workforces, and resources. Since 2018, MB has shifted its development strategy towards a digital platform. With a vision to build a lean bank, MB can serve a large customer base, operate 24/7 and continuously improve labour productivity. Leveraging a decade of persistently tackling real-world problems, MB has gained new competitive edge. The key is to identify the right problems and match them with the right ideas and technologies,” Thai said.

MB’s chairman Luu Trung Thai addresses the opening ceremony of the Vietnam Global Innovation Connect (VGIC) 2026

According to MB’s chairman, Vietnam and MB in specific still face many unresolved problems in the fields of data centres, AI, automation, digital ecosystem development, and labour productivity improvement. This presents an opportunity for experts, scientists, startups, and tech firms to research and develop new solutions.

MB is willing to foster an environment to research, pilot and test ideas in reality while providing resources, connecting partners, and investing in valuable initiatives.

Serving nearly 40 million customers and processing approximately 15 billion transactions in 2025, with that figure expected to reach 20 billion in 2026, MB can support the completion and deployment of models, algorithms, and technology solutions on a large scale in the financial and banking sector, as well as Beyond Banking services.

“Vietnam can become a testing ground for new models, projects, and technologies before international expansion,” Thai said. “Proven innovations through real-world applications in Vietnam and within MB's ecosystem are likely to scale in the regional and global market. The willingness to experiment with innovative models will create new development spaces for businesses and the economy, while bringing these homegrown innovations to the world.”

MB – Ready to welcome innovative ideas from global knowledge

By accompanying VGIC 2026, MB hopes to connect the global knowledge with real-world problems in Vietnam. The initiative will foster an environment for experts, scientists, startups, and tech firms to research, pilot and execute innovative solutions. MB is willing to support resources, data, execution capability and partner connection to bring initiatives from research to practical application, from ideas to tens of millions of users.

Leveraging its technology platform, data, financial capability and ecosystem serving nearly 40 million customers, MB can facilitate the testing, refining and implementation of initiatives on a large scale. This will shorten the gap between research and practical application, contributing to increased labour productivity and creating tangible value for the economy.

MB will continue to expand collaboration with research institutes, universities, tech companies, startups, and expert communities in the local and foreign markets. Collaborative efforts in resources, data, and execution capabilities will speed up the translation of ideas into solutions that can be applied on a large scale, contributing to creating new growth drivers for the economy.

Connecting global knowledge for an innovative Vietnam

VGIC 2026 is taking place from July 29 to 30 at the Startup & Innovation Hub of Ho Chi Minh City, which is organised by AVSE Global with the title “Future Tech - Vietnam's Digital Leap.” The forum convenes policymakers, experts, scientists, businesses, startups, investment funds, and the Vietnamese intellectual community globally to connect resources, advance cooperation, and transform technological initiatives into value for Vietnam's development.

MB representatives and partners at the launch ceremony of the Vietnam Innovation & Policy Labs at VGIC 2026

One of the programme highlights is the SMART Nation model, focusing on four pillars: Smart Data, Smart People, Smart Business Processes and Smart Technology. The programme also advances collaboration in five strategic areas: Semiconductors, Mobility, AI, Robotics and Telecommunications.

Envisioned as a digital business and leading financial group, MB will continue to invest and develop its technology platform, data and digital ecosystem, while expanding cooperation with research institutes, universities, tech firms, startups, and expert communities in both Vietnam and abroad. Such efforts aim to attract innovative resources and jointly develop solutions capable of large-scale deployment, contributing to building an innovative, rapidly developing, and sustainable Vietnam.

VIR