Vietnam State Bank issues new AI regulations for banking sector

The State Bank of Vietnam has issued Circular 53/2026/TT-NHNN to regulate the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the banking sector. The regulation focuses on safety, risk management, and establishing conditions for AI deployment. Under the new rules, AI systems performing automated payment transactions are classified as high-risk if individual transactions exceed 10 million VND or daily totals exceed 20 million VND. For institutional clients, the thresholds are 50 million VND per transaction and 100 million VND per day. High-risk credit decision systems are also subject to strict oversight.

To protect consumers, the circular mandates that AI must not replace human responsibility or authority. Customers must be provided with tools to pause or cancel automated transactions and have the right to request human review of AI-driven decisions. The regulation applies to credit institutions, foreign bank branches, and various payment intermediary services.

Separately, new government decrees require electronic transaction accounts in 11 sectors—including securities, telecommunications, and social media—to link and authenticate with the VNeID digital identity system by December 31, 2026. Banking sector accounts have an extended deadline until June 30, 2027. Additionally, regional banking authorities are working to resolve credit bottlenecks and improve credit quality in mountainous provinces like Son La, Dien Bien, and Lai Chau.