This Financial Insights report elaborates the key points discussed at the Financial Insights Vietnam Banking Roundtable. The roundtable forum is a part of a series of roundtables that Financial Insights organizes around the region. This report looks at the rarely discussed viewpoint of joint-stock banks in Vietnam and their technology strategies and concerns.

Abhishek Kumar, senior research analyst, Asia/Pacific Banking Advisory Service, notes, "Vietnam's state-owned commercial banks have usually eclipsed the smaller joint-stock banks with their significantly larger asset size and technology budgets. However, in recent years we are seeing a shift, with these smaller joint-stock banks looking to optimize the benefits of technology investment."

Kumar concludes, "Vietnam's joint-stock banks are numerous yet make up less than 40% of the banking sector. This is a scenario that will undoubtedly change over the next few years as these banks begin to effectively leverage technology to increase their competitiveness."