On 29 August 2025, in Da Nang city, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), in collaboration with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Swiss Finance Institute (SFI), held a Graduation Ceremony of the 2024–2025 Training Course within the framework of the SECO-funded Bank Executives’ Training Program for the 2021–2026 period. So far, the Program has trained in total 82 executives from various commercial banks in Vietnam.
The Ceremony was attended by SBV Deputy Governor Pham Thanh Ha; Mr. Thomas Gass, Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam; Ms. Sibylle Bachmann, Head of Development Cooperation at the Swiss Embassy in Vietnam; together with representatives from the Swiss Finance Institute, and officers from several SBV Departments and entities; representatives from several commercial banks, as well as the current and former trainees of the SECO-funded Bank Executives’ Training Program.
In his remarks, Deputy Governor Pham Thanh Ha expressed his high acknowledgement and deep gratitude for the longstanding support of the Swiss Government for the development of Vietnam’s socio-economy in general and Vietnam’s banking sector in particular. With its strengths as a global financial and banking hub, since the 2000s, the Swiss Government has been a close companion in the development of Vietnam’s banking sector through a series of technical assistance projects and program. Notably, the Bank Executives’ Training Program for Vietnamese commercial banks, which was launched in 2009, has become a well-known training program, receiving very high recognition by Vietnamese commercial banks. In today’s context of global economic integration, high-quality human resources are a decisive factor for the success of the credit institutions. The SBV’s leadership attaches great importance to the effective implementation of this Program.
Mr. Thomas Gass, Ambassador of Switzerland to Vietnam, delivers a speech at the Graduation Ceremony
Speaking at the Ceremony, Ambassador Thomas Gass expressed his delight in attending the event, especially as Vietnam is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its National Day. Through this Training Program, the transfer of best banking practices and lessons shared by Swiss experts has contributed to strengthening the capacity of the core executives of Vietnamese commercial banks. The Swiss Ambassador emphasized that the Program has played a role in consolidating the safe and sound operations of the banking system, thereby contributing to Vietnam’s socio-economic development. He also welcomed the positive outcomes of the Program and reaffirmed Switzerland’s continued partnership with Vietnam’s banking sector to create lasting implications.
Overview of the Graduation Ceremony
Mr. Markus Buergi, Chief Financial and Operating Officer of SFI, and Professor Alfred Mettler, Director of the Swiss BET Program in Vietnam, highlighted the strong engagement, commitment, and active participation of the trainees, which reflected their genuine dedication to maximizing the benefits of the Training Program. The SFI also highly valued its excellent cooperation with the SBV and SECO in the joint organization of the Program, and expressed their desire to further strengthen the collaboration in the future Program delivery.
Delegates and all trainees participating in the training program
The SECO-funded Bank Executives’ Training Program has been implemented since 2009 in three phases. The current Phase III, which was launched in 2022, consists of three training program (Swiss BET III, IV and V), and is expected to train 240 senior and middle-level executives from the commercial banks in Vietnam. To date, the graduates of the Program have achieved significant career progress, and have contributed actively to the sound development of the banking sector in Vietnam.
HM