The banking and finance sector in Vietnam has plenty of room to develop, however, there is a lot happening already. In this section, we look at banking and finance regulations in Vietnam, lending, finance, and monetary and fiscal policy.

Foreign traders net-buy US$15.3 million of Vietnam stocks, Friday

the-shiv July 26, 2024

The Vietnam Stock Market Tracker provides a daily update of the latest developments in the stock market in Vietnam. This includes all of Vietnam’s most important indexes as well as the buying and selling activity of foreign traders, and the biggest gainers and losers for the day.

Vietnam C.bank supports dong with US$217.3 million in T-bills, Friday

the-shiv July 26, 2024

This Vietnamese Dong Tracker records the latest news and developments with respect to the local currency. It includes the current prices as well as State Bank of Vietnam monetary policy and open market operations including treasury bill issuances and interbank lending.

Vietnam credit growth reaches 6 percent to June

the-shiv July 26, 2024

Of note, last year, credit growth limits languished for the better part of the year. In October, however, when it became clear that the same 14 percent credit growth target would not be hit, Vietnam’s banks embarked on some very aggressive marketing campaigns. Rising bad debts in the first six months of this year, however, could suggest there were some quality issues with these loans.

Vietnam bad debt hits 6.9 percent

the-shiv July 25, 2024

Of note, pursuant to amendments to Circular 39 made in June, loan applications for less than VND 100 million or about US$4,000 no longer need to detail a plan for the borrowed funds. Also back in November and December of last year, to meet annual credit growth targets, Vietnam’s banks embarked on some pretty aggressive lending campaigns that saw credit growth jump considerably but in what looked like mostly consumer loans. It could be that some of these loans are now turning bad…

What Does a Devalued Yen Mean for Vietnam?

the-shiv July 24, 2024

Earlier this year the Japanese yen hit a 38-year low against the greenback and it’s currently sitting about 15 percent lower now than it was at the start of the year. Similarly, the Vietnamese dong took a big fall but has been propped up by the State Bank which has by extension kept the local currency higher against the Yen too. This article looks at what that might mean for Vietnam…

Korean ratings firm enters Vietnam’s credit rating market

the-shiv July 23, 2024

This is part of a wider push to improve the quality of Vietnam’s corporate bond market after a number of high profile cases of fraud were revealed. For example, in 2022, Hanoi-based developer of luxury apartment projects, Tan Hoang Minh, was alleged to have defrauded investors of up to VND 10 trillion though corporate bond issuances…

Finland’s PYN Elite fund names embattled Vietnam Airlines stock pick of the month

the-shiv July 13, 2024

The fund doesn’t really give any clear reasons for making this call but does note that the government gave the airline an extension on a US$160 million loan. It should be noted, however, that this was to avoid insolvency with the airline currently operating on negative equity. It also should have been delisted from the HoSE years ago, however, the government intervened to stop that from becoming a reality. In light of this, naming Vietnam Airlines as the stock of the month is an interesting decision to say the least…

Vietnam’s biggest insurance firms to reduce state ownership

the-shiv July 12, 2024

Notably, state-owned insurers held a dominant position in Vietnam’s insurance market share in 2023, with Bao Viet leading at 15.13 percent. That said, the Vietnamese insurance market is opening its doors to foreign investment. In 2022, a new Law on Insurance Businesses was passed that allows for foreign firms to wholly own Vietnamese insurance companies…

Vietnam records just one IPO in first half 2024, tied lowest among SEA peers

the-shiv July 11, 2024

That single IPO was Hanoi-based DNSE Securities which officially listed under the ticker DSE on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange at the start of July. Notably, this was the first new listing of a securities firm on the local bourse in the last five years…

Vietnam bank bond issuances skyrocket in June

the-shiv July 9, 2024

Of note, deposit interest rates have been rising alongside loans issued by the State Bank of Vietnam to local banks through open market operations–there are currently VND 22,765 billion or US$895.5 million worth of these loans outstanding. It’s also worth noting that credit growth jumped significantly in June reaching 4.45 percent by the 24th. This was significant in that at the end of May credit growth was just 2.41 percent…

Vietnam opens thousands more trading accounts in June despite risks

the-shiv July 9, 2024

An additional 106,417 stock trading accounts were opened in Vietnam in June, according to data from the Vietnam Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation. Of those, individual foreign investors accounted for 159 individual accounts with 27 for foreign organisations. The total number of active trading accounts in Vietnam is now 8,044,825, but this number is a little misleading…

Vietnam paper plates unfairly subsidised 237.65 percent: US Department of Commerce

the-shiv July 8, 2024

Five of the six firms investigated were found to be subsidised to the tune of 237.65 percent. Notably, four of these firms failed to respond to the DOC’s request for information at all, and one failed to provide all of the information requested. The sixth, Go-Pak Paper Products Vietnam, the only company to sufficiently engage with the DOC, was found to be subsidised by just 5.48 percent…

Vietnam corporate bond issuances jump in June

the-shiv July 8, 2024

Of note, bond market reforms issued at the end of 2022 resulted in the bond market freezing up with issuances reduced to a trickle. These reforms were then put on hold in March of 2023 and the bond market bounced back. They did, however, come to an end at the end of last year and this looks to be reflected in bond issuances in the first six months of the year which have been lacklustre at best– at least they were until June…

First new securities firm in five years debuts on Vietnam bourse, shares fall

the-shiv July 8, 2024

Contrary to the trend of foreign investors net selling billions of dollars from HoSE in 2024, foreign investors have been net buyers of DSE shares. Notably, Consilium Investment Management from the USA net bought more than US$ 6.6 million shares on July 2, accounting for more than 2 percent of DNSE’s value. Earlier in January, Finland’s Pyn Elite Fund also invested in DNSE buying 12 percent of the firm’s equity. As of July 5, foreign investors held 13 percent of DNSE’s shares–as a securities firm there is no foreign ownership limit…

Chinese tech insurance Huize to acquire Vietnam-based Global Care

the-shiv July 4, 2024

Of note, Vietnam’s insurance industry is expected to grow by an estimated 8.5 percent from VND 60.15 trillion or US$2.6 billion in 2021 to VND 90.24 trillion or US$3.5 billion in 2026. This growth is expected to be supported by Vietnam’s rapid economic growth and regulatory policies, for example new compulsory insurance for construction contractors and mandatory fire and explosion insurance…

More than half of Vietnam securities firms failing to meet disclose requirements

the-shiv July 3, 2024

Information disclosures on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange have been cited by key stock market index makers FTSE Russell and MSCI as one criteria holding the local bourse back from being upgraded from frontier to emerging. The irony here is that these securities firms stand to probably benefit the most from a stock market upgrade…

Vietnam high-profile stock market manipulation trial to kick-off in July

the-shiv July 2, 2024

Prior to Quyet’s arrest, FLC had been a major real estate developer in Vietnam. The company had properties all over Vietnam as well as an airline–Bamboo Airways–with Quyet at one point reportedly a US dollar billionaire. Well known in Vietnam–idolised by some for his business savvy–his arrest drew a lot of media coverage and his trial will likely too…

Vietnam stock Index could increase 35 percent before end 2024: Finnish investment fund

the-shiv June 28, 2024

It’s worth noting that a lot of Vietnamese firms are carrying a lot of debt and there is increasing pressure on the local currency that is only being kept at bay through issuing treasury bills and spending US dollar reserves which are being run down pretty quickly. The point being, that It wouldn’t take much for the State Bank to raise interest rates and if that were to happen it would likely do some pretty hefty damage to the VN-Index…

Vietnam bonds outstanding lowest in Southeast Asia: ADB data

the-shiv June 27, 2024

Vietnam had just US$115 billion worth of outstanding government, corporate, and central bank bonds, in the first quarter of this year, according to the Asian Development Bank’s Asia Bond Monitor report for June. This is the lowest value of outstanding bonds among other key Southeast Asian economies. This could be a sign of economic prudence, however, it could also be a sign that Vietnam is under investing in its own development. That being the case, this could threaten Vietnam’s competitive edge in the region further down the track…

IMF wraps up Vietnam mission, key takeaways from team lead statement

the-shiv June 27, 2024

The International Monetary Fund has wrapped up a four day consultation in Vietnam led by the intergovernmental body’s Paulo Medas. The consultation included meeting with the State Bank, Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance and a handful of other government agencies. A statement from Medas at the conclusion of the consultation has several noteworthy points, including…