MSCI has removed Vietnam’s EVN Finance and Petrovietnam Nhon Trach shares from its Frontier Markets Index as part of its August Index Review. On the flip side, it has added Vietnam’s Binh Duong Water and Nam A Bank to the index.
Of note, Vietnam’s stock market indexes have been in the news a lot lately as the country pushes for an upgrade from a frontier to an emerging market. There are, however, a number of obstacles still standing in the local bourse’s path before an upgrade can be made.
In MSCI’s 2024 Global Market Accessibility Review, which determines market classifications, of the 18 criteria listed, on six Vietnam had no issues, on four it had no major problems but could use some improvement, but for the remaining eight it was marked as needing improvement. Vietnam has been actively courting an upgrade to its market classification from FTSE Russell and MSCI. Though it still looks to be some ways away this latest report from MSCI does suggest it is moving in the right direction.
See also: Vietnam’s Stock Market Upgrade Opportunity: Unpacked