VBSP Deputy General Director Welcomes New Head of Country Representative of TAF

(VBSP News) Afternoon June 3^rd, at the headquarter of VBSP, Mr. Hoang Minh Te, Deputy General Director of VBSP, hosted a working session with the newly appointed Head of Country Representative of The Asia Foundation (TAF) in Vietnam, Ms. Erin (Phuong) Pham Steinhauer. During this courtesy visit, the Deputy General Director highly commended and expressed gratitude for the contributions of TAF to VBSP’s digital transformation journey over the past decade.

Scene of the working session

The partnership between VBSP and TAF has flourished since 2014, driven by a shared mission to provide inclusion digital financial services to the poor and vulnerable groups. Leveraging TAF’s robust resources and extensive expertise in digital finance, VBSP has successfully implemented several flagship programs, including Mobile Banking, SMS services, digital financial literacy, and digital safety. These highly practical projects have enabled millions of low-income individuals, women, and marginalized groups to access modern banking services.

For the 2025–2027 period, with TAF’s funds, VBSP has collaborated with the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance to implement the component project titled “Promoting financial inclusion and collaborative economic development in the digital economy in Vietnam”. The initiative focuses on raising awareness and equipping VBSP clients—particularly households, small and micro enterprises — with cybersecurity skills. This effort aims to mitigate risks and challenges within the digital space while enhancing the effective utilization of VBSP’s products and services. As of June 2, 2026, a total of 150,806 VBSP clients have successfully completed the digital safety course, reaching 100.5% of the target and achieving the goal ahead of the late-June 2026 deadline.

Deputy General Director Hoang Minh Te presented a commemorative gift bearing the VBSP logo to New Head of Country Representative of TAF Ms Steinhauer

During the meeting, Mr. Hoang Minh Te, Deputy General Director, expressed deep appreciation for the long-standing partnership and close bond between VBSP and TAF, fostered through numerous impactful joint projects. VBSP highly values TAF initiatives, particularly those supporting digital transformation and financial inclusion. The Deputy General Director also praised the dedicated contributions of the consulting experts, whose deep understanding of VBSP's structure and operations has yielded tailored approaches aligned with VBSP’s resources and demands.

In response, Ms. Steinhauer, The Head of Country Representative of TAF, drawing on extensive international experience, reaffirmed TAF's commitment to accompanying VBSP in its digital transformation progress. TAF will continue to strengthen the financial capacity of the poor, micro and small enterprises, and individual business households in rural and remote areas across Vietnam. TAF pledges to focus on continuous training to bolster the resilience and capacity of both VBSP clients and staff against digital financial and security risks, fostering confidence amid external shifts and volatility. With a strategic vision, TAF aims to look beyond current achievements to scale up its impact, expanding these meaningful projects to reach millions of citizens nationwide, thereby contributing to Vietnam's digital economy and human development.