Banking & Finance

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has reported that average growth in green credit in the 2017-2021 period was more than 25 per cent each year. As of June 30, outstanding loans for green projects stood at more than VND474 trillion ($19 billion), up 7.08 per cent year-on-year but accounting for only 4.1 per cent the total in the economy. At the “Green credit, green banking towards sustainable development in Vietnam” workshop held by the SBV in cooperation with relevant units on October 27, a central bank representative pointed out many obstacles in granting green credit, such as a lack of medium and long-term capital and high market risks.

The fall of 276 points during September has resulted in a decline in the VN-Index of 500 points since the beginning of the year; one of the largest in the world. Not only domestic individual investors lost and withdrew funds, with many foreign funds also reporting record losses.

After the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) raised the ceiling interest rate for deposits under six months to 6 per cent per annum, many banks increased their rates from October 25. The highest is at SCB, at up to 9.3 per cent per annum. Analysts have forecast that interest rates will continue to increase over the closing months of the year due to exchange rate pressure and inflation.

According to Mr. Petri Deryng, Founder of Finland’s PYN Fund Management Ltd and Portfolio Manager of the PYN Elite Fund, Vietnam’s stock market, which is the worst in Southeast Asia in terms of profitability, could bottom out this week or next. Interest rates, however, may peak in the country in early 2023. He believes that the situation will calm down in the months to come, thanks to directions, inspections, and close supervision from authorities.

The Ministry of Finance has said it is developing a Decree on preferential tax rates to implement a series of FTAs in the 2022-2027 period, with some tax lines to come down to 0 per cent under a roadmap. An analyst from the Australian Economic Reform Program (Aus4ReForm) said that its participation in many bilateral and multilateral agreements with major economies in the world means Vietnam has become one of the most open countries in the region and the world.

The Vietnam Banks Association (VNBA) held a seminar on October 26 entitled “Opportunities and challenges to apply blockchain to operations in the banking and financial sector”. A representative from Vietcombank pointed out the many obstacles for banks in applying blockchain, including the high cost of research and infrastructure investment and the long period needed to synchronize transition with other systems. A TPBank representative said it is necessary for banks to pilot a sandbox to successfully apply blockchain.