Ho Chi Minh City hosted the HR Asia Awards - Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2026 ceremony on 9/7. Digital bank Cake by VPBank (Cake) received accolades in two categories: "Best Companies to Work for in Asia" and "Tech Empowerment Awards".

A company representative stated that Cake, launched in 2021 as a purely digital bank, has consistently prioritized a human development strategy alongside enhancing its technology platform, operating model, and digital banking products. The company believes that innovation capacity is not solely driven by technology investment but also by fostering an empowered team that has continuous learning and long-term development opportunities.

Cake received the Best Companies to Work for in Asia award at the HR Asia Awards 2026. Photo: Nhung Nguyen.

Cake's team consists of nearly 400 Vietnamese employees who directly research, develop, and operate financial solutions. They master technology and AI to serve over 7 million customers. To cultivate this capability, Cake focuses on providing employees with access to technology and autonomy in their roles. The company also promotes an environment that encourages experimentation, learning, and continuous skill enhancement to adapt to the evolution of AI and digital finance.

Beyond recruiting skilled professionals, Cake emphasizes building long-term development policies. These include performance-based recognition, continuous learning opportunities, an open work environment, and a culture that fosters creativity. This approach helps the company attract individuals who align with its growth pace, while motivating the team to remain committed and develop long-term.

An independent HR Asia survey noted a high level of employee engagement at Cake. Two key indicators of team commitment, "desire to continue with the organization" and "willingness to exceed expectations for common goals", both scored over 95% of the maximum points. Furthermore, Cake achieved a tech empowerment score approximately 16% higher than the market average. These results demonstrate that team cohesion stems not only from human resource policies but also from a work environment where each individual is trusted, empowered, and given opportunities to maximize their potential.

According to the organizers, the HR Asia Awards 2026 theme, "People First, Always", emphasizes that in the AI era, while technology can change how businesses operate, people remain at the core of all sustainable development strategies. This philosophy reflects how Cake has built its organization from the beginning: technology provides a competitive advantage, but people are the decisive factor for innovation and sustainable growth.

Nguyen Huu Quang, CEO of Digital Bank Cake, stated that the greatest value of these awards lies in the recognition from the very people who build the company daily. The awards attest to an environment where every individual is trusted, empowered, and has opportunities to grow with the organization. This is the steadfast direction Cake consistently pursues: being people-centric.

According to Quang, in digital finance, technology can be invested in quickly, but innovation capacity only forms when a company has a team that continuously learns, is skilled enough, and trusts each other. "We believe that investing in our human resources is a crucial foundation for Cake to achieve its goal of becoming a leading next gen AI bank in the region and to deliver increasing value to our customers," Quang said.

Hoang Dan