Ho Chi Minh City has made its biggest jump yet in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI). In the index's 40th edition, released on 30 September, the city scored 692 points and rose 17 places to 67th out of 117 financial centres, according to VnExpress. Only Copenhagen climbed faster in this round.
The result has resurfaced as the city opens the Autumn Economic Forum 2026 (AEF 2026), where it is pitching itself as a meeting point for global capital, technology and know-how.
Six months that matched four years
Compiled since March 2007 by the UK-based Z/Yen Partners and the China Development Institute (CDI) and updated twice a year, the GFCI scores centres on five pillars: business environment, human capital, infrastructure, financial sector development and reputation.
| Edition | HCMC rank | Change |
|---|---|---|
| March 2022 | 102 | First appearance |
| March 2026 | 84 | Up 18 places over four years |
| GFCI 40 (released 30 September 2026) | 67 | Up 17 places in six months, 692 points |
Table compiled by KBVN+ from VnExpress.
The strategy board of the Vietnam International Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City (VIFC-HCMC) says the jump most likely came from the last two pillars. The financial sector gained from FTSE Russell upgrading Vietnam's stock market, and the city rose 12 places to 71st for fintech. On reputation, it drew 302 online assessments and was named 34 times as a centre set to matter more over the next two to three years, placing 11th on that list of 15.
Its structural profile is unchanged from GFCI 39, though: an International Contender on connectivity rather than a Global centre, and still Emerging on breadth and depth.
Drivers and bottlenecks
VIFC-HCMC launched only about seven months ago. In the past six months it has partnered with the London Stock Exchange, helped raise 325 million USD for education projects and welcomed UOB as the first foreign bank to build a headquarters inside the centre.
Bhaskar Dasgupta, a VIFC-HCMC strategic adviser, said the improved rank and score show that international markets are starting to notice the city's progress. Fellow adviser Marc Knapper, a former US ambassador to Vietnam, said the real test is whether investor confidence becomes genuine capital flows, which depends on predictable rules, strong investor protection, deeper capital markets and skilled finance professionals.
Measured against the five pillars, VnExpress noted, the business environment is where the centre most needs to improve. A law firm cited by VnExpress noted that the centre runs on Decree 323, due for review after five years, so investors see the model as a pilot that could change. Vietnam also needs to leave the FATF grey list on anti-money-laundering and build up its pool of finance specialists.
For Vietnamese companies, the question is whether the money reaches them. Trần Quốc Hùng, a senior adviser at the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center, said the centre should be a direct point of contact between Vietnamese firms that need capital and foreign investors that have it. The big challenge, he said, is getting money from the financial centre out to domestic businesses that actually need it for production.
AEF 2026 and next-generation industry
AEF 2026 runs from 26 to 29 October and is co-branded with the World Economic Forum (WEF) for the first time. At Open Innovation Day 2026 on the morning of 26 October, the event that opened the programme, Vice Chairman of the city People's Committee Trương Minh Huy Vũ said the city is preparing for new-generation industries such as AI, digital infrastructure, next-generation energy and smart manufacturing, VnExpress reported.
After its merger with Bình Dương and Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu, the city plans 11 digital technology zones, with Bắc Tân Uyên and Châu Đức seen as sites for large industrial areas tied to solar and offshore wind power. Vũ stressed that what matters most is not infrastructure or industrial parks but the ecosystem.
The economy gives the pitch some weight: nine-month GRDP growth reached 9.06%, the highest in 10 years; total social investment rose 10.2% on the same period of 2025; and registered FDI topped 17.8 billion USD, up more than 323%.
What's next
The forum's two main days are 27 and 28 October. Thematic sessions fill 27 October; 28 October brings a high-level plenary on new global growth poles and a dialogue with Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng on Vietnam's place in the global future. Organisers expect 12 investment projects worth more than 13 billion USD in registered capital to be announced, and VIFC-HCMC plans to name 10 new members.
After the forum, the milestone to watch is Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Văn Thắng's demand in early September that the centre's executive agency deliver concrete products and deals from November. The next GFCI edition, due on the index's six-month cycle, will show whether the city can hold its gains.