From July 21 to 26, 2025, Agribank joined the working delegation of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to explore International Financial Center (IFC) models at the Shanghai Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in China and the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) in Kazakhstan. This working trip aimed to gather valuable insights and learn from successful models for establishing an IFC in Vietnam.

The SBV delegation was led by Deputy Governor Pham Tien Dung, along with experts from the Payment Department, Legal Department, and relevant agencies. For Agribank, the delegation was led by Deputy General Director Mr. Vuong Hong Linh, along with representatives from the Financial Institutions Department and the Treasury Center.

In China, the Delegation worked with leaders of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, the People's Bank of China in Shanghai, and the Shanghai FTZ. The parties shared information on how the Shanghai FTZ was established to promote trade transactions, simplify customs procedures, liberalize trade in goods and services, alongside investment regime reforms. The Shanghai FTZ has quickly become an attraction point for global manufacturing, logistics, and trading enterprises, especially in financial fields such as trade finance, cross-border banking, and insurance.

In Kazakhstan, the Delegation worked with the National Bank of Kazakhstan and the AIFC regulatory authorities. The AIFC was established under the Constitutional Law of Kazakhstan with the goal of promoting foreign investment and developing capital markets based on international standards. Unlike the traditional banking model, banks within the AIFC do not engage in retail banking and do not offer deposit-taking services to the public, but focus primarily on specialized financial services such as trade finance and corporate credit.

The trip yielded valuable experiences and fostered long-term cooperative relationships between the SBV and international partners in the banking and finance sector. SBV Deputy Governor Mr. Pham Tien Dung expressed his gratitude and hoped that the visit would continue to promote international cooperation in building an IFC in Vietnam.

Agribank commits to continuing its partnership with the SBV in developing policies for international financial product development, cooperating with international financial institutions, and anticipating opportunities when the Vietnamese IFC officially becomes operational.

The working trip not only contributed to advancing the development of the IFC in Vietnam but also reinforced Agribank's role in developing modern, sustainable, and globally connected financial products.

Kylie Nguyen