This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on November 15, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: Hong Leong Bank Bhd (HLB), via its subsidiary Hong Leong Bank Vietnam (HLB Vietnam), has launched its mobile banking platform, HLB Connect, in Vietnam, which enables customers to enjoy fee-free financial services and shop for e-vouchers on a single platform.

The platform takes only two steps to sign up, and comes with a ready-to-use Visa virtual prepaid card, HLB said in a statement yesterday.

In addition, upgrading to a savings account is also done on HLB Connect, so customers need not step into a branch as the physical Visa debit cards will be delivered to them, it said.

HLB managing director and chief executive officer Domenic Fuda said the bank has been steadily growing its presence in Vietnam for the past decade and is now seizing the right opportunity to offer Vietnamese consumers an innovative new digital banking experience.

“Vietnam is a market primed for digital and mobile bank offering as only about 40% of Vietnam’s 95 million people have bank accounts while there are around 120 million mobile phone subscriptions.

“HLB Connect has the power to enable both greater financial inclusion and access to e-commerce to more Vietnamese on a single platform while allowing HLB Vietnam to deliver customer experience that is seamless, straight-through and offers superior value,” he explained.

By December, customers can shop and pay for deals available exclusively on HLB Connect.