F88: Building opportunity through inclusion

The shape of opportunity

F88 has grown into one of Vietnam’s largest secured lending networks by serving individuals and businesses that are often missed by traditional finance. Since 2013, it has provided fast, accessible and reliable financial solutions to more than 1.4 million customers. With over 950 branches across the country and automated assessments, F88 offers collateral-based loans ranging from VND 3 million to 2 billion, with repayment terms of 1 to 24 months.

As the business grew its footprint, it also saw an opportunity to look inward. As of December 2025, women made up 55.3% of F88’s workforce, making a clear case for building more intentional pathways for women to advance into senior and more diverse roles across the organisation.

From intent to action

With support from Australian Development Investments (ADI) Technical Assistance, F88 began putting that intention into practice. The work focused on three areas:

1. Gender sensitisation training
2. Leadership development for female employees which includes mentoring, coaching and career development
3. Policy updates to support more gender-responsive workplace practices, including measures on Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH)

By December 2024, that work was already showing up in practical ways. F88 held two in-person Gender Sensitivity trainings in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, launched an online course completed by 3,129 staff, revised maternity leave KPIs, and updated company policy to align with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) safeguarding guidelines.

“By December 2024, that work was already showing up in practical ways. F88 held two in-person Gender Sensitivity trainings in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, launched an online course completed by 3,129 staff, revised maternity leave KPIs, and updated company policy to align with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) safeguarding guidelines.”

– Phung Anh Tuan, General Director, F88

Creating room to move

As of December 2025, F88 reported further progress in how gender equality and safeguarding standards were being carried through the business.

This included:

• 48.6% of managers are women
• 25% of the Board of Directors are women
• 4,683 full-time employees
• 3,028 trained employees

These figures point to more than policy change on paper. They suggest a shift in how leadership, accountability, and workplace practice are being approached across the organisation.

Meeting women where business begins

As part of the Technical Assistance initiative, F88 also introduced a loan product for women entrepreneurs in underserved areas, with the aim of improving access to finance for women running microbusinesses.

Since its launch in March 2024, F88’s loan product has delivered encouraging early results:

• 1,162 loans disbursed to women entrepreneurs
• 1% of loans are late by 9 days, compared with 4% across the overall portfolio
• 0.6% of loans are late by 30 days, compared with 2.9% overall

F88’s experience shows the value of technical assistance that is grounded in how a business actually works. With ADI’s support, F88 improved internal systems, created better pathways for women to progress, and extended that work into its customer offering. These changes helped make inclusion more visible in the way the business operates and grows.

Read the full ADI 2024 Performance Report to learn more about ADI’s approach to technical assistance and inclusive business practices.