Ho Chi Minh City has officially launched its International Maritime Financial Ecosystem (IMFE), a strategic initiative aimed at capturing billions of dollars in offshore shipping and logistics capital. The move is designed to bolster Vietnam's position as a regional maritime hub and enhance its marine economy.
The launch of the IMFE signifies a crucial step in Vietnam's ambition to move beyond physical cargo transshipment and capture more value from its burgeoning maritime sector. Despite handling significant cargo volumes, most high-value financial services, including trade finance, ship financing, and marine insurance, have historically flowed through established offshore centres.
This initiative aims to reverse that trend by creating a comprehensive ecosystem within Ho Chi Minh City. The goal is to localise these financial services and capital flows, thereby strengthening Vietnam's economic competitiveness and supporting sustainable marine development.
Leveraging Ho Chi Minh City's Growing Infrastructure
Ho Chi Minh City's port system, including major facilities like Cat Lai Port and Gemalink International Port, has seen substantial growth. With the planned Can Gio International Transshipment Port, the city is poised to become a significant player in global logistics. In 2025, the port system handled over 24 million TEUs, associated with approximately $200 billion in import-export turnover.
However, Vietnam currently retains only about 4-5% of the financial value generated by its maritime industry. The IMFE seeks to increase this domestic retention rate significantly, potentially generating billions of dollars in additional economic impact.
Objectives and Roadmap
The IMFE initiative has three primary objectives:
To officially launch a strategic platform designed to localise maritime financial capital and services.
To connect financial institutions, banks, insurance companies, shipping lines, logistics enterprises, and international organisations within an integrated ecosystem.
To introduce the first maritime financial products and initiatives, enabling Vietnamese enterprises to access domestic financing, insurance, and risk management tools.
Roland Berger's strategic industry report, presented at the launch forum, mapped a roadmap to raise Vietnam's domestic value retention from 4-5% to 15% by 2035. The IMFE will initially focus on ship-leasing finance, cross-border payments, and fintech applications, with plans to develop specialised maritime finance service segments over time.
