SHS at 18: Building a Journey of Service and Trust

Marking 18 years since its establishment, Saigon – Hanoi Securities Joint Stock Company (SHS) is entering a period of significant transformation, evolving from a traditional securities company into a modern, professional, and sustainable financial services business.

A Service Branding Turning Point

After more than 25 years of development, Vietnam’s securities market is entering a period of profound restructuring. Accelerating trading infrastructure, the growing participation of retail investors, and intensifying competition from foreign securities firms are increasingly exposing the limitations of growth models built primarily on trading fees and margin lending.

Against this backdrop, many industry players are seeking new growth paths, shifting from transaction-volume-driven models toward development built on service quality and client experience. Rather than focusing solely on short-term revenue, these companies view clients as long-term assets and place trust, understanding, and the ability to support clients throughout their investment journey at the heart of value creation. Success is no longer measured simply by the number of orders executed, but by the quality of client relationships and the experience delivered throughout the investment journey.

To make this model a reality, companies must invest systematically in technology, data, people, and a service-oriented culture – the foundations that create resilience for long-term growth. Recognizing this trend early, SHS has proactively transformed its operating model, progressively establishing itself as a modern financial services company with clients at the center.

In November 2024, on the occasion of its 17th anniversary, SHS officially introduced its new brand positioning, “Empower Financial Prosperity,” together with a more modern and dynamic visual identity. Yet the transformation goes far beyond its external appearance. At its core is SHS’s determination to evolve from a traditional securities company into a financial services business guided by Service Branding, with service quality and client experience at the heart of its operations.

“SHS believes that sustainable competitive advantage does not come from low fees, but from the quality of service and client experience,” said Mr. Do Quang Vinh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SHS.

This philosophy has become a guiding principle throughout SHS’s transformation. Every process, product, technology solution, and policy is evaluated based on the tangible value it creates for clients before being implemented.

Technology – People – Experience: Three Pillars of Value Creation

To put its Service Branding philosophy into practice, SHS is implementing its transformation across three core pillars: technology, people, and experience. Technology serves as the engine of acceleration, while people are at the helm. Both are directed toward a common goal: creating a better experience for clients.

Technology is at the heart of this transformation. In 2025, SHS launched SH Smart app & web, its next-generation trading platform – an important milestone in its digital transformation journey. SH Smart is more than a technology product; it reflects SHS’s commitment to a truly client-centric approach. Investors can customize their interface, show or hide modules, save their own analytical data, and synchronize information instantly across devices. The platform also integrates multi-layer authentication, automated risk alerts, and real-time transaction monitoring, enabling a more secure, transparent, and seamless trading experience.

Alongside this, SHS has introduced SHS Office, a digital workplace designed to streamline internal processes, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen service capabilities. It forms part of SHS’s broader transformation efforts, enabling employees across the organization to collaborate more quickly, accurately, and effectively.

On the people front, SHS is restructuring its organizational and human resource management systems toward a service-oriented model. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are being redesigned to place greater emphasis on service quality and client satisfaction. Investment advisors receive structured training not simply to “sell products,” but to support clients throughout their investment journeys – sharing knowledge, supporting decision-making, and helping clients navigate different market cycles. When employees understand that clients’ success is also their own, Service Branding becomes embedded in the organization’s culture.

Client experience is the third pillar, with SHS working to create a seamless journey across multiple touchpoints, connecting digital and physical interactions. In October 2025, SHS inaugurated its new headquarters at 43 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Cua Nam Ward, Hanoi. Designed as an open financial services space, the new headquarters combines a modern, welcoming environment with a distinctive “financial lounge” concept. Clients can conduct transactions, meet with advisors, or simply spend time in a comfortable and inspiring setting rather than in a conventional, rigid transaction office.

At the same time, SHS is progressively expanding and standardizing its network of branches and transaction offices in major financial centers, including Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Can Tho, with the aim of delivering a consistent, convenient, and professional experience across the network.

Building a Full-Service Financial Ecosystem: A Vision for Sustainable Growth

After a year of implementing its Service Branding strategy, SHS’s most meaningful outcome has been the trust built among clients, partners, and employees.

The nine-month results provide tangible evidence of the strategy’s impact, with operating revenue and profit before tax recording strong growth. After just nine months, SHS had already achieved and exceeded 100% of its full-year plan, while total assets increased by 57% year on year.

Notably, in August 2025, SHS surpassed USD 1 billion in market capitalization for the first time – a symbolic milestone reflecting the company’s growing scale and the market’s recognition of its financial strength and development prospects. This achievement was not simply the result of scale expansion, but also reflected two years of brand repositioning and strengthening of SHS’s internal capabilities.

Alongside its financial performance, SHS received an A rating with a Stable Outlook from VIS Rating in its first-ever assessment. The company was also recognized among the Best Companies to Work for in Asia by HR Asia for two consecutive years and named among the Top 10 Green ESG Enterprises in Vietnam 2025 in the Finance – Securities sector, among other recognitions.

These achievements reflect not only a year of significant transformation, but also the foundations SHS has built for its next stage of development. Building on this foundation, SHS is preparing for a new phase of acceleration, with the goal of returning to the Top 10 securities companies by brokerage market share in Vietnam, while strengthening its position as a securities brand trusted and preferred by both retail and institutional clients.

Going forward, SHS will continue to invest heavily in technology and products while expanding its personal financial services ecosystem, connecting investment, savings, consumption, and wealth management needs in a more comprehensive and flexible manner.

No matter how rapidly technology evolves, Service Branding will remain a guiding principle for SHS’s decisions. For SHS, sustainable growth is not driven by speed alone, but by genuine value, dedicated people, and an outstanding client experience. In financial services, trust cannot be bought through lower prices; it can only be built through genuine service quality.

At 18, SHS is taking steady steps on its journey to create lasting value and strengthen its position as a modern financial services company.