The Vietnam Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR Vietnam), established by the World Economic Forum and the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, and Ant International have announced a strategic partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance Vietnam’s digital economy and support Ho Chi Minh City’s ambition to become an international financial centre and regional fintech hub.
The partnership was formally announced at the Ho Chi Minh City Economic Forum 2025, with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc officiating the event. This collaboration aims to accelerate Vietnam’s Fourth Industrial Revolution agenda, enhance Ho Chi Minh City’s competitiveness in the global economy, and broaden access for the country’s small businesses, positioning Vietnam as a dynamic engine for trade, travel, and inclusive digital finance.
Beyond payment infrastructure, the partnership will focus on developing Vietnam’s domestic fintech ecosystem through regulatory innovation and talent development. Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc expressed his expectation that cooperation with Ant International would expedite the city’s progress toward becoming an international financial centre, drive digital transformation, train high-quality talent, and strengthen Vietnam’s position in the global financial system. He recognized Ant International’s global leadership in digital payments, digitization, financial technology, and its advanced technology platforms, acknowledging the company’s positive contributions to digital transformation and fintech ecosystem development in Vietnam.
Both parties will collaborate across several key areas to enhance Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem, ensuring that businesses, particularly SMEs and startups, benefit from progressive policies, cutting-edge technology, and global connectivity. These areas include promoting Ho Chi Minh City as an international finance centre by jointly advising on regulatory strategies and policy support to attract foreign businesses and promote innovation frameworks, leveraging Ant International’s 6T (Travel, Trade, Thrive, Technology, Talent, Trust) framework.
Ant International will also support Ho Chi Minh City and local partners in joint innovation initiatives and technology capacity-building to foster fintech industry development. The partnership aims to globalize local SMEs by providing tailored solutions via Ant International’s platforms such as Alipay+, Antom, Bettr, and WorldFirst, thereby enhancing their competitiveness in the regional and global economy.
Furthermore, the collaboration includes a comprehensive training program to address skill gaps and provide mentorship for local startups in areas such as digital finance, cross-border payments, compliance, and fintech operations. This initiative supports Vietnam’s strategy to transition towards an innovation-led economy and establish itself as a regional hub for smart economic development and inclusive growth.
Ant International’s existing businesses in Vietnam will progressively expand merchant access. All parties involved will work to ensure continuous alignment with the partnership goals, regularly evaluating progress toward Ho Chi Minh City’s financial center development targets.
Peng Yang, CEO of Ant International, stated, “Vietnam is one of the most exciting digital economies in the world today, powered by forward-looking policy, a vibrant startup ecosystem, and fast-growing local talent pool. Ant International is excited to work with C4IR to advance the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam. We are committed to expanding such public-private partnerships continuously to bring together policy innovation and technology expertise to drive inclusive growth in Vietnam and a much more vibrant and sustainable global digital economy.”
In a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and other leaders, Yang reiterated Ant International’s commitment to Vietnam’s development. He added, “We believe Ho Chi Minh City has the unique opportunity to truly become a world-leading international financial centre and we’re committed to supporting Vietnam to become a regional innovation hub under the leadership of the Prime Minister, with our full capabilities to implement the right technologies and regulation that brings real-world impact to the local community. Ant International will strengthen our presence and investments in Vietnam, making it one of our regional hubs for global market access.” Ant International, headquartered in Singapore, is a global provider of digital payment, digitization, and financial technology services.
