{
  "id": 12816609,
  "title": "From risk to reputation Jason Ho on what makes a bank worthy of trust",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/from-risk-to-reputation-jason-ho-on-what-makes-a-bank-worthy-of-trust",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-08T07:00:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Vietnam Investment Review",
    "slug": "vietnam-investment-review",
    "url": "https://vir.com.vn/from-risk-to-reputation-jason-ho-on-what-makes-a-bank-worthy-of-trust-162281.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jason Ho, a member of the Board of Directors at Eximbank, emphasizes that banking is fundamentally a business built on trust. His view is simple yet crucial: it is not about amassing the largest balance sheet or quick profits, but about consistently making the right decisions, managing risks, and preserving that trust over time. He articulates his guiding principle as \"do what is right.\"\n\nHo's philosophy was shaped by two significant financial crises. During the 1997 Asian financial crisis, as corporate treasurer for Volvo in Asia-Pacific, he witnessed companies borrow US dollars at lower interest rates without understanding the currency risk. When local currencies weakened, he spent weeks across the region addressing the fallout. A decade later, the global financial crisis reinforced his lesson that banks should not simply avoid risk. Instead, they must understand, price, and manage it, always keeping in mind the ultimate stakeholder: the people who have entrusted their money and confidence to the institution.\n\nTo Ho, profit is an outcome of doing the right things consistently. It is not the ultimate purpose of a bank. \"A good bank has an enormous responsibility towards its depositors, clients, employees, and shareholders,\" he says. \"Profitability is an outcome of the quality of what you have done.\" This perspective guides the foundations of a good bank for Ho: fiduciary responsibility, reputation, sound governance, and sustainable profitability. He believes that profit should follow from these elements, not dictate them.\n\nFor Ho, reputation is as crucial as sound financial management. \"It takes many years to build and can be destroyed in the blink of an eye,\" he notes. Once confidence is lost, it becomes difficult for a bank to regain its footing. This is why he repeatedly stresses the importance of good governance. A strong corporate governance framework helps define responsibilities, challenge assumptions, keep risks within acceptable limits, and identify problems before they escalate into crises. He distinguishes between management and the board: management executes the strategy and runs the bank, while the board provides oversight, approves strategy, oversees risk appetite, and asks critical questions while maintaining enough independence to raise concerns.\n\nHo's approach is rooted in long-term thinking. He joined Eximbank's board in 2026 as the bank embarked on a period of strategic review and transformation. His role is to provide independent judgement, experience, and challenge at the board level while allowing management to operate the bank and deliver results. For Ho, success is measured by whether Eximbank can build durable customer trust, strengthen its funding profile, manage risks, and create sustainable returns over time. He prefers a balanced scorecard approach, focusing on building trust, enhancing funding, controlling risks, and generating sustainable profits.",
  "summary": "After nearly four decades across trading treasury risk people and governance Jason Ho has seen banking through booms crises and transformations Now as a member of Eximbank s Board of Directors he is contributing that experience at a pivotal stage in the bank s development",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}