Vietnam’s Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) has launched Visa Flex Credential, enabling cardholders to alternate between debit and credit payment modes using a single card.
The launch marks the first implementation of Visa Flex Credential in Southeast Asia and was supported by OpenWay’s Way4 digital payment platform.
The new functionality is aimed at expanding consumer payment flexibility in Vietnam, where debit cards continue to dominate. According to ACB officials, this feature could help increase credit card adoption and encourage more frequent card usage. The bank expects the offering to improve activation rates, reduce dormant accounts, and generate data insights for future product development.
OpenWay’s Way4 platform served as the technological base for the rollout. The system supported updates across ACB’s card issuance infrastructure, including integration with Visa’s Flex Credential portal and the ACB One mobile app. This involved adjustments to transaction logic, tokenisation processes, smart routing, and database configurations. The platform’s architecture enabled the project to move from concept to production within a few months.
Implications for digital payment development
Officials from OpenWay indicated that the technology supporting Visa Flex Credential could be extended to include other features in future rollouts, such as loyalty or instalment accounts, based on evolving consumer preferences. The collaboration between OpenWay and ACB builds on a decade-long relationship, which has previously supported digital initiatives including Apple Pay tokenisation and QR-code ATM deposits.
The recent deployment is part of OpenWay’s work with financial institutions globally, where its platform has also powered projects such as CBDC card issuance in Eurasia and mobile-based Visa peer-to-peer payments. The company has confirmed that another Visa Flex Credential implementation is already in progress in a different market.
