Culture of setting a good example is the root of trustworthiness: bank exec

Banking is often described as a trust-based business, where credibility is placed above all else. Therefore, NamABank has built a culture centered on integrity, starting from leadership’s role-modeling and cascading throughout the entire Nam A people system. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2026, The Investor speaks with Vo Hoang Hai, deputy CEO of NamABank, about the role of trust in business and the bank’s brand-building journey.

Trust as the center of cohesion

Having spent decades in the financial and banking sector, you understand better than many that trust is more valuable than gold. In today’s era, how do you assess the importance of trust?

From my personal perspective and experience, whether in life or in business, trust remains the most important factor. The saying that financial losses can be recovered, but a loss of credibility means losing almost everything, is not an exaggeration. Trust is the basis that binds people together and serves as the intermediary that allows business dealings and transactions to succeed.

If one lacks integrity and fails to build trust, whatever one communicates, directs, or leads becomes mere dogma. People cannot truly connect with one another without sincerity.

From a business management and governance perspective, trust is the center of cohesion. An organization that is fragmented, lacks mutual trust, does not share common goals, and operates without clarity or altruism - where everyone pursues personal interests - cannot grow. No leader can remain in a position for long or develop sustainably within an organization if they fail to build trust.

Looking back on your professional career, could you share some moments where credibility helped you achieve outstanding success or overcome the most difficult challenges?

I have been involved in executive management at NamABank for 10 years. My experience shows that trust becomes the center of cohesion. In a large organization, each division or department has its own KPIs, and everyone naturally seeks to protect their own unit’s interests.

However, every organization also has a larger, shared objective. At times, achieving that common goal requires sacrificing localized interests. What enables people to step out of that “silo mentality” and act for the collective good? Only a strong center of cohesion.

Those who call for alignment must aim toward the shared and overarching goals of the organization. Trust in working for the common purpose brings people together. To do this requires substantial credibility - it cannot be imposed.

In business, there are urgent situations where it is impossible to follow every procedure perfectly. As a leader, you may support the initiative and empower employees to act proactively. But if, after achieving the goal, you refuse to sign off, withdraw support, or ignore the outcome and push the risks onto others, you will lose your team and comrades. Clearly, leaders must act professionally and transparently over the long term to demonstrate trustworthiness.

Integrity as the guiding principle of Nam A people

At NamABank, what role does trust play in building and maintaining the bank’s competitive position in today’s financial market?

Banking is a unique sector - at its core, it is a trust-based business, where trust occupies the highest position. Banks must earn trust so that people are willing to entrust their savings and assets. On the basis of that trust, banks utilize deposits to ensure efficiency.

Why don’t those with surplus capital and those in need of capital deal directly with each other, but instead rely on banks as intermediaries? Because banks create trust through professional teams, analysis, and evaluation - ensuring that deposited funds reach productive uses and return with principal and interest to fulfill obligations to depositors.

Due to this unique nature, losing trust in a bank is fundamentally different from losing trust in other types of businesses. The banking sector is extremely sensitive; a trust-related incident at one bank can trigger a severe domino effect across the entire banking system and the broader economy.

That is why NamABank’s culture is always associated with being pioneering, principled, and courteous, with integrity regarded as the guiding principle in conduct. We have a code of ethics for NamABank people, a professional ethics handbook, and a cultural handbook - so that every individual internalizes what it means to be pioneering, principled, and courteous, as well as the values of propriety, tolerance, trustworthiness, diligence, and benevolence.

Trust in the era of digitalization and young customers

In today’s era of digitalization and intense competition, what do you think banks need to do to continue maintaining trust with younger generations of customers?

From my personal perspective, retaining younger customers is more about experience and personalization. Banks need to create integrated ecosystems that comprehensively address lifestyle needs - payments, banking services, shopping, travel, aviation, spas, and more.

For customers aged 30 and above, who have accumulated assets and enjoy relatively stable finances, trust becomes a much more important consideration.

For younger customer segments, NamABank - like many other banks - has had to change and move away from traditional approaches. We established a digital bank focused on experience, convenience, and trend alignment to attract and retain young users on the platform for longer periods. Because of the need to stay trendy, some projects are launched only briefly and then discontinued, making effectiveness difficult to quantify.

Therefore, I believe that for young people, the question of whether a bank is trustworthy enough to transact with is often replaced by whether it is interesting enough to stay with. However, when they transition into stages of accumulation, investment, and family life, the conversation inevitably returns to trust.