27/11/2025
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Many global “eagles” eye entry into International Financial Centre in HCM City
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Unlike existing IFCs in the region such as Hong Kong (China) or Singapore, which were built upon traditional commercial hubs, HCM City is emerging amid a restructuring of global supply chains. This creates opportunities for Vietnam to become an important link in the new value chain.
Joining the Autumn Economic Forum 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City, numerous international investors have expressed strong interest in participating in and expanding cooperation with the southern metropolis once the Vietnam International Financial Centre (IFC) is established there.
These signals are prompting the city in particular, and Vietnam in general, to accelerate the completion of infrastructure and policies to put the IFC into operation soon.
A new “base” for global corporations
Unlike existing IFCs in the region such as Hong Kong (China) or Singapore, which were built upon traditional commercial hubs, HCM City is emerging amid a restructuring of global supply chains. This creates opportunities for Vietnam to become an important link in the new value chain.
At a working session with municipal leaders on the sidelines of the forum, Yang Peng, CEO of the Singapore-based digital payments & fintech group Ant International, said that after eight years of observing Vietnam’s financial market, he has seen significant progress, especially in digital payments, reflected in the development of platforms such as NAPAS and various electronic payment ecosystems.
Given HCM City’s advantages, Ant International plans to make the city a strategic market in its global expansion and accompany the economic hub in operating and developing the Vietnam IFC, he said.
Multiple international businesses have also expressed interest in investing in the IFC.
In a paper submitted to the forum, Nguyen Lam Thanh, General Director of TikTok Vietnam, said that after studying the IFC model, the company identified three strategic areas suitable for establishing operations in Vietnam, namely digital commerce, digital payment and digital logistics.
TikTok therefore plans to apply for licences to establish three companies within the IFC in HCM City to operate in these fields. The company hopes that the Government and municipal leaders will facilitate licensing so these firms can become operational next year.
Noah Perlman, Chief Compliance Officer of Binance – the world’s largest digital asset exchange which recently signed an MoU with the municipal Department of Finance to support the IFC, assessed that the city is rapidly becoming a major destination for digital finance and innovation.
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Unlike existing IFCs in the region such as Hong Kong (China) or Singapore, which were built upon traditional commercial hubs, HCM City is emerging amid a restructuring of global supply chains. This creates opportunities for Vietnam to become an important link in the new value chain.