The agreement was signed by Le Van Khuong, Director of APED, and Nguyen Minh Tu, General Director of CRIF D&B Viet Nam, in the presence of leaders from APED and the CRIF Group.
This strategic partnership fuses the APED’s functions, business information infrastructure, and SME support network with CRIF’s international expertise in business information, credit assessment, data analytics, and ESG. The two sides will also jointly study business data infrastructure to develop a data and digital transformation ecosystem supporting the growth of the private sector.
A central pillar of the MoU involves integrating the Twin Maturity Assessment (TMA) toolkit implemented by APED with CRIF’s Synesgy platform. The initiative aims to support SMEs in their twin transformation and ESG reporting journeys, helping them participate in global value chains and gain access to green finance.
The two sides will also study mechanisms for the mutual recognition and use of assessment results from the TMA and Synesgy systems. This approach is intended to reduce SMEs’ reporting burden and enable businesses to make greater use of existing assessment results. Integrating the two toolkits will not only help businesses cut costs but also unlock unprecedented opportunities to penetrate international markets.
The MoU also paves the way for joint research into models that assist SMEs access green finance. The research will explore ways of using data and assessment results from TMA and Synesgy to reduce documentation, procedural requirements, and initial compliance costs for businesses seeking green credit. It will also seek to promote the role of data in helping businesses access finance, rather than relying primarily on traditional collateral-based lending.
The cooperation focuses on enhancing businesses’ readiness to access green finance through data infrastructure, as well as improving the completeness and reliability of data provided by participating businesses.
Under the 2026 Twin Transformation Initiative implemented by APED, the top nine outstanding businesses will receive a free 12-month Synesgy account, while the next 21 businesses will receive a 50% discount on Synesgy account fees for 12 months, subject to Synesgy’s applicable terms and conditions.
Through the agreement, businesses that have completed the twin transformation readiness assessment will be empowered to translate their assessment results into internationally recognised ESG certification. This will better prepare them for expansion into international markets and for working with domestic and international banks and credit institutions to access green finance.
In the longer term, joint research into business data infrastructure will create dual benefits by developing a data-driven ecosystem to support businesses while contributing to the growth of the private sector.
