According to its financial report, at the end of 2025, Vietnam Maritime Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MSB)'s total customer deposits reached nearly 197 trillion VND, a 27,2% increase from the beginning of the year. Of this, current account savings account (CASA) deposits reached nearly 57 trillion VND, an increase of nearly 40%, raising the CASA ratio from 26,4% to 28,9%. This performance positioned MSB among the top 5 banks with high CASA ratios in the system.

An MSB representative stated that the digital transformation strategy played a key role in driving CASA growth in 2025. Leveraging data platforms, critical processes from approval and disbursement to operations were standardized and automated. This approach shortened processing times, enhanced control efficiency, and increased transparency.

Last year, the bank promoted MSBPay with its Merchant App, offering QR payment solutions, financial management, and electronic invoicing for business households. This solution allowed MSB to gain deeper access to the operating cash flow of this segment, thereby establishing a stable source of current account savings account deposits.

Concurrently, digital platforms like Magnet were effective on online channels, helping the bank expand its customer base and increase cross-selling efficiency. By the end of 2025, MSB served nearly 8 million individual customers and over 100,000 corporate clients, increasing transaction frequency and engagement with payment accounts.

Customers complete deposit procedures at the counter. Photo: MSB

Amid fluctuating deposit interest rates and loan interest rates adjusted to support businesses, a high CASA ratio helped the bank maintain a cost of capital advantage, thereby reducing pressure on its net interest margin (NIM). In 2025, MSB's consolidated NIM reached 3,22%.

In addition to maintaining a high CASA ratio, credit continued to be a key driver of MSB's scale growth in 2025. With a credit growth rate of 15,8% granted by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) for the banking segment, the parent bank's customer loan portfolio exceeded 201 trillion VND.

Furthermore, thanks to investments in digitalization and a customer base expansion strategy, the loan portfolio of its subsidiary Tnex Finance reached nearly 4 trillion VND, bringing MSB's total consolidated loan outstanding to over 205 trillion VND as of 31/12/2025. The credit structure continued to focus on strategic segments, with individual customers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contributing over 75,5% of the total outstanding loans.

Beyond scale growth, MSB's operational safety ratios remained positive. The consolidated capital adequacy ratio (CAR) reached 12,5%, among the highest in the market; the loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) was 62%, below the regulatory ceiling of 85%. The ratio of short-term capital used for medium and long-term loans was 26,74%, below the State Bank's 30% limit. Credit quality was controlled, with the consolidated non-performing loan ratio at 1,82% at the end of 2025, helping to limit risk cost pressure and reinforce the cost of capital advantage from CASA.

Thanks to its low-cost funding base and increased transaction activity, MSB recorded net interest income of nearly 11 trillion VND, an increase of nearly 7% compared to 2024. Net profit from service activities increased by nearly 30%, reaching over 1,7 trillion VND, primarily from payments and digital banking services.

Operational efficiency improved as the cost-to-income ratio (CIR) decreased to 36,14%. By the end of 2025, MSB achieved a consolidated pre-tax profit of 7,058 trillion VND, after setting aside nearly 2 trillion VND for credit risk provisions; return on assets (ROA) reached 1,59%, and return on equity (ROE) reached 14,04%. Total consolidated assets reached nearly 408 trillion VND, an increase of 27,3% from the beginning of the year.

In 2025, Moody’s upgraded MSB's international credit rating for long-term deposits and long-term issuer rating from B1 to Ba3, while also raising its baseline credit assessment (BCA) to b1.

A bank representative stated that the improved rating helps the bank expand access to capital at a more reasonable cost, while also strengthening the confidence of customers and investors.

Moving into 2026, the bank announced it will continue to prioritize sustainable growth, linked to its digitalization, AI, and big data platform strategies, aiming to expand its service ecosystem and enhance customer experience.

Minh Ngoc