Circle Asia Technologies, a credit-led neobank based in Singapore, has announced a strategic collaboration with digital payments firm Visa and fintech firm Pismo, to launch Vietnam’s first artificial intelligence (AI)-powered PayLater card.

Circle said in a statement on Wednesday that the card is aiming to set new standards for transparency, personalization, and user experience in the financial industry.

Scheduled for a phased rollout in early 2026, the card is being engineered to dismantle the barriers that have led to Vietnam’s low credit card penetration.

Powered by AI, it will offer users a seamless way to build credit with instant approval, make payments globally and manage their finances with unprecedented ease and security bypassing the need for a bank account.

Using AI modeling, Circle can determine risk and underwrite a customer with an active virtual credit card, that also offers flexible installment features as part of Circle PayLater, in under five minutes.

This groundbreaking initiative is possible through a strategic collaboration with one of Vietnam’s largest and most trusted commercial banks, ensuring robust compliance and market scale.

“Our mission is to deliver a seamless, rewarding and inclusive financial experience for Vietnamese consumers,” said Arnab Ghosh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Circle Asia Technologies.

“Circle is fundamentally redesigning the financial experience for consumers in Vietnam. We believe that by starting with a truly modern credit product, we can build a deeper, more valuable relationship with our customers than traditional banks or debit-focused neobanks ever could,

“Working with Pismo and Visa enables us to innovate rapidly and offer unmatched convenience and security,” he added.

Varun Dudeja, Head of Business Development, Asia Pacific (APAC) at Pismo, said the collaboration with Circle and Visa underscores how uniting modern core processing technology with trusted global payments capabilities enables new, more transparent, and more accessible consumer experiences.

“This collaboration further accelerates the momentum toward a smarter and more inclusive digital financial ecosystem,” he added.

Julie Hsiao, Head of Value-Added Services, Southeast Asia, Visa, said at Visa, they believe innovation in payments is key to unlocking financial inclusion and empowering consumers.

“Our collaboration with Circle and Pismo brings together advanced AI technology and Visa’s trusted global network to deliver secure, seamless, and personalized payment experiences for the Vietnamese market,

“We are proud to support Vietnam’s digital transformation and help set new standards for transparency, convenience, and security in financial services,” she added.

It is noted that Pismo delivers a robust API and microservices-based platform designed for continuous innovation and resilient performance.

Acquired by Visa in 2024, Pismo remains network-agnostic, continuing to work with multiple card networks.

The integration of Pismo’s technology with Visa’s global infrastructure is accelerating the modernization of core banking and payment capabilities through cloud-native APIs —empowering financial institutions and fintechs to scale rapidly and offer advanced value-added services.

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