Category
- 🇻🇳 Vietnam
- 🎤 Event Review
Date of issue
Nov 19, 2025
1. Event Overview
🔸 Global Shinhan InnoBoost Program
In 2024, Shinhan Future's Lab Vietnam officially launched the Global Shinhan InnoBoost Program , a flagship initiative designed to drive innovation and collaboration with startups in Vietnam. In partnership with the Seoul Business Agency , the program provides startups with opportunities to accelerate growth and expand their operations both locally and globally.
The program serves as a catalyst for digital transformation , helping startups optimize business models, scale faster, and improve customer engagement. Participating startups gain access to Shinhan's extensive network and resources, while Shinhan benefits from cutting-edge technologies and entrepreneurial talent, creating a mutually reinforcing environment for success.
Through the program, Shinhan's subsidiaries in Vietnam leverage innovation collaboration to enhance the value of financial services. From banking and investment to insurance and digital solutions, they deliver comprehensive offerings while fostering innovation and strategic partnerships.
The inaugural 2024 program demonstrated strong market traction and impactful results:
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High engagement: Over 100 applications across sectors, including fintech, AI, and martech.
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Significant funding support: More than VND2 billion in cash grants awarded to promising startups.
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Proof-of-concept success: 9 PoC projects completed, validating innovative solutions.
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Future growth opportunities: More than 5 collaborations are set to continue beyond the program, driving long-term partnerships and scaling potential.
🔸 2025 Global Shinhan InnoBoost Program
Riding on the momentum of 2024, the 2025 Global Shinhan InnoBoost Program 2025 continues to foster startup growth , advance innovation , and cultivate strategic collaborations within Vietnam's startup ecosystem and Shinhan's financial network.
Shinhan Future's Lab Vietnam is the lead organization of the Global Shinhan InnoBoost 2025 program, under the patronage of the National Innovation Center (NIC) , and co-organized in collaboration with the Seoul Business Agency , Seoul Startup Hub , and the innovation connectivity platform BambuUP . The program also sees collaborations from strategic partners, including Saigon Innovation Hub and three venture capitals: ThinkZone , TheVentures , and Nextrans .
The 2025 Global Shinhan InnoBoost Program features a 16-week Proof-of-Concept (PoC) initiative between selected startups and Shinhan's subsidiaries, targeting 5 to 7 startups per cohort. Each participating startup receives a VND 200 million grant to support project development.
Shinhan Bank
Shinhan Bank Vietnam has been offering a diversified portfolio of tailored corporate and individual banking products.
Collaboration Area:
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Open Platform & Embedded Finance
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Customer Engagement & Partnership Models
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AI-driven Customer Experience
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AI & Automation for Banking Operations
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Smart Enterprise Solutions
Shinhan Finance
With the widespread business network, Shinhan Finance Vietnam has the capability to serve customers nationwide with flexible financial solutions.
Collaboration Area:
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AI Recommendations & Customer-Centric Solutions
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AI-powered Process Automation
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Fintech-enabled Credit & Lending Solutions
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Smart Enterprise Solutions & Data-driven Management
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Open Innovation with Finance & Fintech Partners
Shinhan Securities
Shinhan Securities Vietnam provides various market-leading medium risk and medium return products that boast both stability and profitability.
Collaboration Area:
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AI-powered Investment Advisory & Customer Experience
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Investment Risk Management & Compliance Automation
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Investment Platform-as-a-Service
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Smart Enterprise Solutions
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Open Innovation with Wealth Management & Digital Partners
Shinhan Life
Shinhan Life Insurance Vietnam operates in the fields of life insurance, health insurance, and financial investment.
Collaboration Area:
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AI Application & Data-driven Insurance Solutions
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Process Automation & Digital Operation
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Ecosystem Integration & Embedded Insurance
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Future Finance & InsurTech Collaboration
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Open Innovation with Digital & InsurTech Partners
The 2025 Global Shinhan InnoBoost intake began in May 2025 , attracting over 200 applications from startups across Vietnam , South Korea , Indonesia , and other markets. After a rigorous selection process involving 36 interview sessions with 30 shortlisted startups, six startups were officially announced and introduced at Meetup Day on July 11:
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Fineksi – A SaaS platform enabling financial institutions to implement digital transformation and AI integration, particularly for automating bank statement analysis and supporting credit decision-making.
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Sobanhang (Finan) – A comprehensive business and financial management platform serving Vietnam's micro, small, and medium enterprises, currently with over 600,000 users.
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Metsakuur – A South Korean AI facial recognition software startup, previously partnered with and funded by Hana Bank.
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BTaskee – A service ecosystem app providing comprehensive household utility services, with a strong focus on home cleaning.
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Borra (Fles Corp) – An end-to-end social media marketing solution helping brands engage effectively with Gen Z audiences.
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AgenticFlow AI – A no-code platform for creating AI Agents that automate sales, marketing, and operational workflows.
In the PoC phase, Fineksi , Metsakuur , and Finan partnered with Shinhan Bank , while bTaskee , Borra ( Fles Corp) , and AgenticFlow AI piloted their projects with Shinhan Finance , Shinhan Securities , and Shinhan Life , respectively, demonstrating the program's targeted collaboration between startups and Shinhan's subsidiaries.
The Demo Day , held on November 11 , marked the closing of the 2025 program, providing startups with the opportunity to showcase their PoC projects and network with industry leaders . Following the program, standout projects may continue to develop further, with additional support from the organizers, including workshop venues , investor and partner introductions , and assistance for market expansion in Korea, helping startups scale and maximize their growth potential.
2. Event Recap
🔸 Startup Showcase & Pitching
The event opened with a showcase session featuring five standout startups , each presenting their PoC projects developed in collaboration with Shinhan's subsidiaries. After 16 weeks of co-creation , the teams from Vietnam, Korea, Singapore, and Indonesia unveiled five practical, technology-driven solutions tailored for the banking and finance sector—highlighting real-world applications, scalability, and strong commercial potential.
The event space vividly captured the spirit of “Honey Crush” —a place where technology , people , and emotion converged . From showcase booths to interactive zones, the atmosphere was infused with energy and collaboration, sparking meaningful conversations, new connections, and fresh ideas for future partnerships
🌟Participating Startups & POC Projects:
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Fineksi (Indonesia) — AI automates end-to-end credit assessment and enhances fraud/anomaly detection
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Fineksi partnered directly with Shinhan Bank Vietnam to develop a PoC that automates the entire credit assessment process—traditionally a time-consuming workflow prone to manual errors.
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Fineksi's AI technology can analyze bank statements, credit histories, financial reports, and borrower documentation within minutes, compared to the days required under conventional methods. The system not only extracts data but also interprets behavioral patterns and detects anomalies, enabling more accurate, consistent, and data-driven credit decisions.
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Metsakuur (South Korea) — AI automates end-to-end credit assessment and enhances fraud/anomaly detection
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As part of its PoC with Shinhan, Metsakuur developed an electronic identification system powered by facial recognition technology, designed specifically for two widely used documents: Vietnamese Citizen ID cards and Korean passports.
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The project includes building a mobile-based eKYC application and an administration dashboard that enables real-time monitoring, control, and analysis of identity data.
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Borra (Fles Corp) (South Korea) — Personalized content seamlessly converts user engagement into financial actions
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Borra's PoC with Shinhan focuses on transforming content into financial action: after engaging with a fortune analysis or investment quiz, users are seamlessly guided to relevant banking products, account-opening pages, or other targeted CTAs.
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Finance (Vietnam) — Integrated sales & financial management unlocks SME cash-flow visibility and credit access
◦
As part of its PoC with Shinhan Bank Vietnam, Finance developed an integrated sales-management application that connects directly with financial services, enabling micro-business owners and SMEs to record transactions, track revenue and expenses, manage receivables, and process payments—all within a single platform.
◦
The PoC with Shinhan aims to address key challenges around tax compliance, business data standardization, and cash-flow visibility, creating a foundation that allows banks to better evaluate SME financial health and expand credit access.
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AgenticFlow AI (Vietnam/Singapore) — Multi-agent chatbot delivers accurate, source-cited customer service
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In its PoC, AgenticFlow AI developed a customer service chatbot for Shinhan Life (SHLV), leveraging Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technology to accurately retrieve information from internal documents, product terms, brochures, and public sources—ensuring responses are precise and properly cited.
🔸 Opening Ceremony
The Opening ceremony saw the sharing from representatives of Shinhan Bank Vietnam on the vision of the Global Shinhan InnoBoost 2025 and their commitment to promote co-creative cooperation between Shinhan and regionally potential startups.
Sharing in Demo Day, Mr. Kang Gewwon – General Director of Shinhan Bank Vietnam stated:
“Global Shinhan InnoBoost is not merely an incubation program, but a co-creative journey between startups and Shinhan Financial Group Korea. Each PoC introduced today is not only a trial version, but also clear evidences for cooperation strength, where creative ideas are turned into practical values. We commit to continuing to accompany startups, in order to together create positive impacts and promote innovation in the financial sector in Vietnam”
Mr. Kim Hyoung Jin, Director of Shinhan Future's Lab Vietnam , organizing unit, shared:
" At Shinhan Future's Lab, we not only accelerate startups, but also accompany startups to co-create the future. Global Shinhan InnoBoost serves as a Launchpad, where startup spirit and corporate strength collaborate to create true value. Each PoC serves as a stride in long-term journey that helps startups develop, simultaneously bringing comprehensive and creative innovation opportunities, thereby better serving customers in line with the “Customer-Centric" motto of companies within Shinhan financial ecosystem in Vietnam”
🔸 Shinhan Future's Lab Sharing & Panel Discussion
The Shinhan Future's Lab Sharing & Panel Discussion served as the closing highlight of Global Shinhan InnoBoost 2025 . During the discussion titled "From Insight to Market Impact", speakers offered sharp and practical perspectives—from accurately identifying enterprise needs and distinguishing real trends from noise to translating PoC outcomes into tangible market value. Their insights went beyond technology, emphasizing the people, processes, and real pain points that innovation must address.
With a focus on real-world execution, the speakers shared candid reflections on the dynamics of corporate and startup collaboration throughout the program: how both sides co-create solutions, measure impact, and ensure that what's built is not only innovative but truly aligned with market demand and organizational needs.
3. Event Recap
🔸 Fineksi
🌟 Company Overview:
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Founded Year: 2023
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Funding History: Pre-Seed
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Country of origin: Indonesia
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Item Progress: Commercialization stage (Revenue generating)
🌟 Main Products/Services:
Fineksi is a SaaS company offering credit decision services to financial institutions. Using AI technology, Fineksi streamlines the credit process to enable accurate and reliable lending decisions. The company's mission is to deliver comprehensive data analysis to minimize risk and maximize profitability for financial partners.
🔸 Finance (SoBanHang)
🌟 Company Overview:
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Founded: 2021
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Funding History: Pre-Series A
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Item Progress: Commercialization stage (Revenue generating)
🌟 Main Products/Services:
Finan Pte Ltd is a fintech company on a mission to make it easier for businesses to run and grow. We build AI-powered solutions that connect growth, operations, finance, suppliers, and partners — helping businesses work smarter, grow faster, and enabling partners to serve them more efficiently.
The company's two flagship products reflect this vision:
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SoBanHang is the #1 business app in Vietnam that helps shop owners manage sales, inventory, receivables, and digital financial tools — all from a mobile phone.
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FinanBook is the modern finance and banking platform that helps SMEs control spending, manage cash flow, and grow smarter.
🔸 Metsakuur
🌟 Company Overview:
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Founded Year: 2020
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Funding History: Series A
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Item Progress: Commercialization stage (Revenue generating)
🌟 Main Products/Services:
Metsakuur is a provider of a facial recognition solution for multiple applications. Its offering includes a local type face recognition engine, server type face recognition engine, and face recognition server systems. It is applicable for surveillance, access management, security, and ID verification.
Metsakuur differentiates itself through exceptional performance and accuracy, particularly its Sophisticated Anti-Spoof Feature , a critical capability as deepfake and face-forgery techniques become increasingly advanced. The company targets financial institutions, government agencies, and educational organizations, aligning with its vision to enhance social security through advanced recognition technologies.
🔸 Borra (Fles Corp)
🌟 Company Overview:
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Founded: 2019
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URL: https://fles.co.kr/
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Funding History: N/A
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Item Progress: Commercialization stage (Revenue generating)
🌟 Main Products/Services:
Borra aims to break the stereotype that fortune-telling and horoscope content is old-fashioned or irrelevant. Its approach makes fortune-telling fun, accessible to all ages, and capable of addressing everyday concerns with both subtlety and humor.
With six patents filed based on its core technologies, Borra delivers a stable and systematic fortune-telling service supported by a robust database and high-quality content. This foundation enables the company to help partners achieve strong user acquisition and sustainable monetization.
Borra currently works with several major B2B partners in South Korea. Although it does not yet operate a dedicated quality-assurance system, effectiveness is demonstrated through high engagement rates and strong social-sharing performance. Targeting Gen Z—who value emotional, fast-paced content—Borra is building a new interaction model that is both entertaining and capable of stimulating financial interest.
🔸 AgenticFlow AI (PixelML)
🌟 Company Overview:
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Founded Year: 2023
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Funding History: N/A
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Item Progress: Commercialization stage (Revenue generating)
🌟 Main Products/Services:
AgenticFlow AI is a no-code platform that enables the creation of automated AI Agents. In the PoC, it was used to develop a customer service chatbot for SHLV, leveraging Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technology to provide highly accurate, source-cited answers from both internal and external documents.
The startup operates a SaaS subscription model for SMEs (starting at $199/month) and offers customized on-premise solutions for large enterprises. Additional incentives include support packages for startups and MSMEs, referral rewards, and lifetime benefits for early users.
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