September 29, 2026, Standard Chartered Vietnam General Director Nguyen Thuy Hanh concluded a series of high-level engagements in New York during the Vietnamese Government’s visit to the United States, focusing on Vietnam’s next chapter of growth and its increasing role in the global economy.

Witnessed by Vietnam’s General Secretary and President To Lam, Standard Chartered exchanged two strategic Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank) and Equest Group, aiming to mobilise over a billion US dollars in international resources, underscoring the Bank’s role in connecting Vietnam with global capital, investors and business opportunities.

Under the first agreement, Standard Chartered Bank New York Branch, Standard Chartered Bank (Vietnam) Limited and HDBank established a framework to expand significant fundraising opportunities. The agreement also covers USD clearing, trade finance, cash management, payments and foreign exchange, while facilitating wider cross-border business and financing connections across Standard Chartered Group.

Under the second agreement, Standard Chartered Bank, acting through its New York Branch, EQuest Education Group Joint Stock Company and EQuest Capital LLC agreed to implement seven strategic initiatives and mobilise hundreds of millions of US dollars in international resources to develop education infrastructure and deepen cooperation with leading institutions worldwide, including US universities.

Standard Chartered exchanged two strategic MoUs with HDBank and Equest Group to mobilise over a billion US dollars in international resources

During the visit to the United States, Vietnam’s Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan met with senior representatives of Standard Chartered Bank. At the meeting, the Minister recognised and highly valued Standard Chartered’s longstanding partnership with Vietnam, including the Bank’s efforts to connect the country with international investors, support sovereign credit rating initiatives and share expertise on international capital markets. Mr Tuan requested Standard Chartered to continue accompanying the Government and the Ministry of Finance, sharing its experience and supporting Vietnam’s efforts to achieve an Investment Grade sovereign rating.

Standard Chartered’s representatives congratulated Vietnam on the positive and sustained progress it has made in strengthening its macroeconomic foundations, reinforcing market confidence and advancing towards this important milestone. The Bank reaffirmed its commitment to continuing to work alongside and support Vietnam in advancing its strategic priorities for international financial integration, capital market development and broader access to global investors.

Discussing a potential future Vietnamese sovereign bond issuance when appropriate, Standard Chartered noted that under the global market uncertainty, borrowing costs would be influenced by US Treasury yields, inflation expectations, geopolitical developments and investor risk appetite. Nevertheless, Vietnam’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals continue to reinforce investor confidence in the country’s long-term growth prospects.

Standard Chartered affirmed that it would continue to share international best practices, provide updates on global capital markets and support Vietnam’s deeper integration into the global financial system, thereby helping the country mobilise development resources effectively and further strengthening cooperation between the Ministry of Finance and the Bank.

These engagements build on Standard Chartered’s track record of connecting Vietnam with international capital. The Bank supported the Government’s USD 1 billion international bond issuance in 2014, which attracted USD 10.6 billion in investor demand. In the private sector, since early 2026, Standard Chartered has helped Vietnamese corporates and financial institutions raise approximately USD 3.3 billion in international markets, with the total expected to reach nearly USD 7 billion by year-end.

Vietnam’s Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan met with senior representatives of Standard Chartered Bank

At the high-level executive roundtable hosted by the US-ASEAN Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce under the theme “Vietnam 2045 and Beyond: Building the Engines of Future Growth”, Ms. Hanh joined senior leaders from major US and multinational companies across technology, manufacturing, energy, finance and investment. In the presence of General Secretary and President To Lam and other senior Vietnamese Government leaders, Standard Chartered set out priorities for mobilising diversified, long-term and competitively priced capital to advance Vietnam’s infrastructure, energy transition and technology ambitions.

General Secretary and President To Lam met with Standard Chartered leader

Drawing on the Bank’s global experience and longstanding partnership with Vietnam, Standard Chartered proposed three priorities in the upcoming time, including further deepening Vietnam’s capital markets by establishing a liquid sovereign USD benchmark curve through regular international bond issuance, continue strengthening Vietnam’s sovereign credit profile with the ambition of achieving Investment Grade, and strengthening connectivity with international financial market.

Nguyen Thuy Hanh, General Director, Standard Chartered Vietnam

“We believe Vietnam is well-positioned to attract substantial international capital, and a sustained presence in offshore capital markets would serve as an important catalyst for the continued development of both the sovereign and broader Vietnamese capital markets. Standard Chartered remains committed to leveraging our capital markets expertise, global network, international investor connectivity and deep understanding of Vietnam to support the Government’s development agenda and further strengthen Vietnam’s position in the global financial landscape,” said Nguyen Thuy Hanh, General Director, Standard Chartered Vietnam.

Rounding out the programme, Ms Hanh also joined the General Secretary and President To Lam, senior Vietnamese government leaders, and business executives in a business luncheon hosted by the Vietnamese Government, The CEO, VinaCapital and Sovico Group under the theme “Vietnam’s Next Chapter: A Leadership Dialogue on Technology, Energy & Finance”. The forward-looking dialogue explored the forces shaping Vietnam’s next chapter of growth – from technology and AI to energy, finance and the Vietnam International Financial Center – and the opportunities to deepen international investment and connectivity as Vietnam strengthens its position in the global economy.