HÀ NỘI — Vietnam Report released its 2026 rankings of the country’s 10 most reputable commercial banks on June 22, with an awards ceremony slated for August in Hà Nội.

The rankings use financial strength as reflected in financial reports in the most recent year, media reputation assessed by using media coding of bank-related coverage across influential media channels, and surveys of relevant stakeholders, with data updated through May 2026.

The top 10 are Vietcombank, VietinBank, Techcombank, MB, BIDV, Agribank, ACB, VPBank, HDBank, and SHB.

On the occasion, the firm also named the top 10 private joint-stock commercial banks, including Techcombank, ACB, VPBank, HDBank, SHB, LPBank, Sacombank, TPBank, SeABank, and MSB.

CEO of Vietnam Report Vũ Đăng Vinh said the banking sector is navigating an environment of striking growth opportunities and persistent headwinds such as geopolitical uncertainty, energy price swings, rising trade protectionism, monetary policy shifts in major economies, and the need to maintain macroeconomic stability while chasing ambitious expansion targets.

The economy is holding its footing. GDP expanded 7.83 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter while average consumer price index (CPI) inflation stayed at 3.51 per cent, giving policymakers room to keep interest rates growth-friendly.

Banks remain the economy’s primary funding artery just as the battle for deposits intensifies. Credit growth is considerably outpacing traditional deposit growth, pushing loan-to-deposit ratios steadily higher and forcing lenders to lean more on non-deposit funding to sustain lending, Vinh said.

The State Bank of Vietnam is fast-tracking its path to Basel III in 2026 through a draft circular set to replace existing prudential ratios and operational safety limits. The aim is to pivot the industry away from scale-driven expansion toward stronger capital quality and risk management. A balanced transition mechanism, however, will be critical to safeguard system safety while ensuring the economy gets the credit it needs.

“Banktainment”, the fusion of financial services with entertainment experiences such as concert sponsorships, ticket purchase incentives, cashback rewards, and loyalty offers, is emerging as a new strategy to reach customers beyond transactions and build emotional ties with brands amid fierce competition.

This trend is already visible in the media landscape. Vietnam Report’s media coding analysis covering the January 2022 – April 2026 period shows that the share of news related to “Customer Relations” climbed from 2.3 per cent in 2022 to 5.5 per cent in 2025 and held at 5.2 per cent during the first four months of 2026. Banks are increasingly prioritising customer engagement over purely financial narratives.

A Vietnam Report survey on what drives reputation underlines the point. Beyond data security, transparency and privacy cited by 89.5 per cent of respondents, customer experience factors are gaining ground. Product and service quality was flagged by 54.3 per cent, customer service quality by 48.1 per cent, and staff professionalism by 46.2 per cent.

The findings signal that rivalry among banks has expanded beyond balance sheet strength and tech firepower to a deeper battle for customer engagement and relationship building. — VNA/VNS