The Finastra Financial Services State of the Nation 2026 report shows that 94% of financial institutions in Vietnam plan to increase investment in AI over the next 12 months, underscoring strong momentum to expand AI capabilities despite structural constraints.
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94% of financial institutions in Vietnam plan to increase investment in AI over the next 12 months. (Photo: Courtesy of NAPAS) |
Seven in ten institutions have already actively deployed AI solutions, particularly in customer service and support, marketing and customer communications as well as software development and IT functions. The findings suggest the sector is moving beyond experimentation and pilot programs towards more operational and embedded use cases.
AI investments are being prioritized to enhance payment and lending processing speeds, strengthen risk management frameworks, improve decision-making and boost developer productivity. As digital banking competition intensifies and customer expectations evolve, institutions are increasingly turning to AI to streamline operations and deliver more responsive services.
However, the research also highlights that scaling AI safely and sustainably will depend heavily on modernizing legacy systems and strengthening security infrastructure.
Technology modernization and cybersecurity have emerged as top strategic priorities for Vietnamese institutions. Banks and financial service providers are investing in modern data platforms, real-time monitoring systems and enhanced threat detection capabilities to mitigate rising digital risks, comply with tighter regulatory scrutiny and safeguard core operations that are becoming ever more technology-dependent.
Customer expectations are also reshaping institutional strategies. According to the survey, 42% of financial institutions said improved service, more personalized experiences and stronger data security and privacy protections are now among their customers’ top demands. The findings reinforce the view that customer experience and trust have become key competitive differentiators in an increasingly digital financial ecosystem.
Despite ongoing disruption and transformation pressures, industry confidence remains high. As many as 99% of respondents in Vietnam reported strong optimism about future opportunities at a personal level, while 96% expressed optimism about the outlook for their institutions as operating models and technologies continue to evolve.
Modernization has firmly moved to the top of the agenda. Nine in ten respondents said they plan to invest in upgrading core systems and infrastructure over the next year, driven by the need to support AI scaling, enhance operational resilience and deliver superior customer experiences.
Cloud adoption is playing a central role in this transformation. Nearly three-quarters – 74% – of institutions said most, if not all, of their software stack is now hosted in the cloud. Cloud-based platforms are seen as critical to reducing operational costs, increasing scalability, enabling personalization, supporting regulatory compliance and accelerating innovation cycles.
However, integrating AI into legacy core banking systems remains a complex undertaking. Many institutions still rely on decades-old infrastructure that was not designed to support real-time analytics or advanced automation. Bridging this gap requires not only technological upgrades but also organizational change, workforce upskilling and robust governance frameworks.
“Technology decisions now sit at the centre of trust, resilience and customer experience,” said Chris Walters, CEO at Finastra.
“Vietnamese financial institutions are clearly committed to scaling AI, but this research shows that success will depend on strengthening security, modernizing legacy systems, and building reliable foundations that AI needs to deliver value safely and consistently,” he said.
Walters added that modernizing aims to work closely with its customers as strategic partners as they navigate this evolving landscape through modern, secure and innovative software solutions.
The 2026 study surveyed senior professionals at financial institutions and banks across France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the UAE, the U.K., the U.S. and Vietnam, offering comparative insights into global and regional transformation trends.
For Vietnam, the findings reflect a financial sector at a pivotal juncture. The strong appetite for AI investment signals ambition to compete in a digital-first era. Yet the path forward will require balancing innovation with security, agility with resilience and rapid deployment with long-term system integrity.
As AI increasingly becomes embedded in everything from customer interactions to credit assessments and fraud detection, the institutions that successfully align technology modernization with robust risk management are likely to be best positioned to capture the next wave of growth in Vietnam’s fast-evolving financial landscape.
Source: VNA