Smartlink Card Co connects over 16,000 ATMs. ― Photo smartlink.com.vn

HA NOI (Biz Hub) ― Smartlink Card General Director Nguyen Tu Anh and Viettel Telecom Director Hoang Son were among top 20 influential people who drove the payment industry in Indochina last year, as selected by Total Payments Asia.

According to ictnews.vn, a recently-announced report said Anh topped the list after successfully carrying out projects that unified payment networks nationwide. This supported the development of a non-cash payment market in accordance with Government directions.

Smartlink Card currently operates a system that digitally links over 50 banks, financial institutions, insurers, airlines and telecom service providers. It connects over 16,000 ATMs and 77,000 point-of-sale machines that accept nearly 40 million bank cards.

Viettel Telecom was considered an innovator in payment technology via mobile phones.

Viettel's BankPlus enables mobile banking services. ― Photo laisuat.vn

The company co-ordinated with domestic credit institutions to provide BankPlus, a service that enables customers to carry out banking transactions and pay for telecommunications charges via their mobiles, with total transaction value amounting to VND200 billion (US$9.5 million) every month.

The list also included officials at Myanmar's central bank and CB Bank, Thailand's SinaptIQ Group and Cambodia's Wing Ltd.

Total Payments Asia is an annual meeting organised by Terrapinn Holdings Ltd for emerging payment communities in Indochina, where payment technology and solutions are showcased.

This year's event will take place in Thailand in October with a focus on payment via mobile phones, a method that's becoming a popular option for non-cash payment markets in Viet Nam and other regional countries. ― VNS