banking and finance
The Banking & Finance category covers the latest trends, regulatory updates, and market developments in the financial sector. It explores banking operations, monetary policy, interest rates, foreign exchange, and investment flows, providing insights into capital markets, digital banking, lending trends, and financial regulations. This section also examines economic stability, fintech innovations, and foreign direct investment (FDI) in financial services, helping businesses, investors, and policymakers navigate the evolving financial landscape.
Securities: New Decree limits changes to foreign ownership limits in Vietnam
Vietnam has issued Decree 245/2025/ND-CP, effective 11 September 2025, to amend its securities regulations, including stricter bond issuance rules, faster IPO listings, and clearer rights for foreign shareholders, the Government Electronic Newspaper has reported.
Digital assets: Vietnam launches five-year pilot to regulate crypto assets
Vietnam has just put in place its first structured rules for crypto, with a five-year pilot programme now underway. Resolution No. 05/2025/NQ-CP, signed on 9 September by Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc, sets the framework for how issuance, trading, custody and service provision will be handled, The Government Newspaper has reported
Banking & finance: Vietnam corporate bond market steady in August
Vietnam’s corporate bond market remained active in August, with 37 private placements totalling VND 39,357 billion (US$1.51 billion) and 6 public offerings worth VND 6,332 billion (US$243 million), according to the Vietnam Bond Market Association (VBMA).
Banking & finance: Vietnam’s bad debt climbs to record VND 294 trillion in H1 2025
Bad debt across 28 Vietnamese banks rose to VND 294.2 trillion or US$11.32 billion by June 2025, up more than 12 percent since the start of the year, Tien Phong has reported.
Cars & motorbikes: Vietnam automotive financing market to reach US$33.3 billion by 2033: Report
Vietnam’s automotive financing market, valued at US$11.5 billion in 2024, is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.55 percent to reach US$33.3 billion by 2033, according to a report from Astute Analytica. Rising incomes, low vehicle penetration, and surging demand for loans are driving expansion.
Economy: Vietnam government growth push could lift leverage risk, says Fitch
Fitch Ratings has warned that Vietnam’s push for rapid economic growth despite higher US tariffs could worsen already high leverage, according to a statement on its website.
Banking & finance: Vietnam corporate bond market sees slowdown in July 2025
In July 2025 Vietnam recorded 31 private bond placements worth VND 27,294 billion or US$1.05 billion and one public offering worth VND 2,649 billion or US$102 million, according to data from the Vietnam Bond Market Association (VBMA).
Tax: Vietnam’s Vietcombank urges removal of foreign withholding tax duty
Vietcombank has asked the government to scrap the requirement that commercial banks withhold and pay taxes on behalf of foreign entities without a physical presence in Vietnam, The Investor has reported. The bank is arguing that it is unfeasible and inconsistent with global norms.
Banking & finance: Credit imbalance raises red flags for Vietnam’s financial stability
Trillions of dong in new credit have flooded Vietnam’s economy in the past year, but experts warn the bulk is being channelled into real estate and construction — not production — raising concerns over asset inflation and future financial stability, Tuoi Tre has reported. Vietnam’s current credit path suggests a misallocation of capital, with real estate overheating while production lags.
Banking & fianance: Vietnam’s banks face talent shortage finance-tech linked skills
Despite large-scale investment in digital transformation, Vietnamese banks are struggling with a critical shortage of professionals who can bridge finance and technology,, Deputy General Director of LP Bank Luu Danh told a forum, Wednesday, VN Express has reported.
Currency: Vietnam ramps up liquidity support as exchange rate pressure persists, Tuesday
Vietnam’s central bank continued to inject significant liquidity into the market on July 13, while interbank interest rates inched higher and the dong’s black market premium narrowed slightly, according to the latest data from the State Bank of Vietnam.
Banking & finance: Lotte to expand BNPL service in Vietnam
Lotte Group is expanding its buy now, pay later (BNPL) service, in Vietnam as part of its broader strategy to strengthen its financial market footprint and support retail growth, ChosunBiz has reported.
Insurance: Vietnam premium revenues expand 4.81 percent in first half of 2025
Vietnam’s insurance market saw steady growth in the first six months of 2025, with total premium revenue reaching VND 114.8 trillion or US$4.42 billion, up 4.81 percent year-on-year, according to the latest data from Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance.
Currency: Vietnam’s liquidity tightens as USD/VND spread widens, Thursday
Vietnam’s financial markets on 10 July 2025 showed signs of tightening liquidity and ongoing dollar demand pressure, reflected in movements across repo operations, exchange rates, and interbank interest rates.
Banking & Finance: Vietnam’s corporate bond market sees US$3.35 billion issued in June
Vietnam’s corporate bond market saw a surge in activity in June 2025, with 65 private placements totalling VND 86,953 billion or US$3.35 billion, up 26 percent from May, according to a report from the Vietnam Bond Market Association.
Banking & finance: Vietnam prepaid cards market to surge 26.6 percent to US$7.19 billion in 2025
Vietnam’s prepaid card and digital wallet market is expected to grow 26.6 percent year-on-year to reach US$7.19 billion in 2025, according to a report from Research and Markets.
Banking & finance: Vietnam’s credit growth exceeds 7 percent in first half of 2025
Vietnam’s total outstanding credit reached VND 16,730 trillion (about US$656 billion) as of June 18, up 7.14 percent from the end of 2024, according to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). This is significantly higher than the 3.87 percent growth recorded in the same period last year, The Investor has reported.
Banking & finance: Vietnam’s financial hub ambitions clouded by governance, transparency gaps: Alvarez & Marsal
Vietnam’s ambitions to become a credible regional financial hub risk falling short without stronger transparency, enforcement, and governance, Douglas Jackson, Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal, has warned in an article published by The Investor.
Banking & finance: Asian Bond Monitor report confirms structural weaknesses in Vietnam bond market
Vietnam’s bond market continues to show key structural weaknesses, according to the Asia Bond Monitor June 2025. The market remains highly concentrated, with limited corporate issuance and a small sustainable bond segment.
Economy: Fitch says Vietnam GDP to grow 5.6 percent in 2025, affirms Vietnam at BB+ rating
Vietnam’s GDP is forecast to grow 5.6 percent in 2025 and 5.3 percent in 2026, down from 7.1 percent in 2024, Fitch Ratings has said. It has, however, also highlighted risks from rising leverage, trade policy uncertainty, and structural weaknesses in governance and the banking sector.
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