Vietcombank, VietinBank, BIDV End Account Nicknames Under Circular 30/2025

Overview

Vietcombank (HOSE: VCB), VietinBank (HOSE: CTG) and BIDV (HOSE: BID) have stopped offering account nickname services and may reject transfer instructions that still use old nicknames, following the State Bank of Vietnam’s Circular 30/2025 on cashless payment services. From April 1, 2026, payment account names must match the account holder’s citizen ID or citizen identity card data, a change that affects how millions of retail customers send and receive money.

Key Facts

• Circular 30/2025, issued by the State Bank of Vietnam, takes effect for account-name matching on April 1, 2026.
• Payment account names must be identical to information on the citizen ID card (căn cước công dân) or the new citizen identity card.
• Vietcombank, VietinBank, Agribank and BIDV are named among the banks discontinuing nickname (iNick) registration.
• All previously registered nicknames lose validity once the service stops; transactions entered with old nicknames may fail or be refused.
• Banks state the change does not affect account balances, the underlying account number, or attached utilities.
• Payment service providers must verify payment orders for legality and validity, and display the exact account number and account name on payment documents.
• Suspicious transactions must be reported to competent authorities and the State Bank of Vietnam, with customers notified of investigation and complaint handling.

What Happened

Under Circular 30/2025 on the provision of cashless payment services, the State Bank of Vietnam requires that the name on a payment account be consistent with the holder’s citizen ID or citizen identity card information. The stated objective is to raise the security and safety of transactions. The rule takes effect on April 1, 2026, and the article reports that large commercial banks including Vietcombank, VietinBank, Agribank and BIDV have already adjusted their transfer and receipt processes.

The most visible change is the termination of nickname services, which let customers create a short, memorable alias used alongside the bank-issued account number. With the service withdrawn, every registered nickname becomes invalid, and customers who keep entering an old alias may see the transaction blocked or rejected. The banks say balances and account rights are unaffected and that the original account number and accompanying features remain in place. Customers who previously shared a nickname to receive money, for example on sales pages, social media or with business partners, are advised to update their receiving details. The circular also obliges payment institutions to check payment orders for legitimacy and to report suspected criminal transactions to authorities and the central bank.

Market Context

Vietcombank closed at VND 58,000 on September 30, 2026, with VietinBank at VND 30,000 and BIDV at VND 35,950 on the same date. The three state-linked lenders sit at the core of Vietnam’s retail payment and interbank infrastructure, so a compliance deadline of this kind touches their transaction volumes, customer-service workloads and fraud-control frameworks rather than their balance sheets. The rule arrives alongside broader State Bank of Vietnam scrutiny of anti-money-laundering controls and VIP customer monitoring, part of a wider tightening of payment-system integrity as money-market rates have eased to their lowest since early 2024.

Strategic Significance

The nickname ban is best read as a data-integrity measure rather than a revenue event. By forcing account names to reconcile with citizen ID records, the State Bank of Vietnam narrows the space for mismatched or misrepresented beneficiaries, which is the same gap that facilitates misdirected transfers and, at the margin, mule-account activity. For Vietcombank, VietinBank and BIDV, the near-term cost is operational: re-onboarding nickname users, updating payment templates and absorbing a likely spike in failed transactions and customer queries. The longer-term benefit is a cleaner identity layer across retail payments, which supports fraud-loss reduction and strengthens Vietnam’s position in cross-border payment and AML assessments. Banks that migrate customers quickly to official account numbers should see fewer disputes and better straight-through processing than slower peers.

What to Watch

• April 1, 2026 effective date: confirmation from VCB, CTG and BID that nickname-based transfers are fully blocked.
• Bank disclosures on the share of retail transactions still routed through nicknames before the deadline.
• State Bank of Vietnam guidance or FAQs clarifying treatment of failed transfers and complaint timelines.
• Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 earnings commentary from VCB, CTG and BID on digital banking volumes and failed-transaction rates.
• Any follow-up circular or amendment on account-name matching for corporate and joint accounts.