Bank credit in Việt Nam has kept climbing this year, rising faster than the same period in 2024 and maintaining a steady upward trend, Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Phạm Thanh Hà said at a press conference on Friday.

 

At the event, held to announce the banking industry’s third-quarter results and outline work for the final quarter of 2025, Hà said: “Bank credit by September 29 this year increased by 13.37 per cent compared to the end of 2024. The credit structure in the first nine months of this year continued to focus on the production and business sector, especially priority sectors and economic growth drivers according to the Government's policy.”

 

Director of the SBV’s Credit Department Hà Thu Giang reported that the credit structure across sectors matched the broader economic structure. Around 78 per cent of outstanding loans supported production and business. Of these, agriculture, forestry and fisheries accounted for 6.23 per cent, industry and construction 23.97 per cent, and trade and services 69.8 per cent.

 

“Some priority sectors under the direction of the Government and the Prime Minister accounted for a large proportion, such as agriculture accounting for 22.76 per cent, small and medium enterprises accounting for 19.04 per cent, or had high growth rates such as supporting industries and high-tech application enterprises with 23.14 per cent and 25.02 per cent, respectively,” Giang said.

 

According to Hà, the synchronous implementation of many policies contributed to strong credit growth. The SBV late last year sent a document to credit institutions announcing all credit growth targets for 2025 and in July 2025 raised the targets under specific principles to ensure transparency, enabling institutions to expand lending.

 

The banking sector also rolled out credit programmes for agriculture, forestry and fisheries, loans for linking production, processing and consumption of high-quality low-emission rice in the Mekong Delta, loans for social and workers’ housing, renovation and reconstruction of old apartments, and loans for young people under 35 to buy social housing.

 

“The SBV continued to maintain low benchmark interest rates to guide the market to reduce lending interest rates to support businesses and people; while regularly directing credit institutions to continue to reduce operating costs, increase the application of information technology and other solutions to strive to reduce lending interest rates. The measures helped the lending interest rate level continue to have a downward trend,” Hà said.

 

On the foreign exchange market, Hà said the SBV had managed the exchange rate flexibly and in coordination with other monetary policy tools, helping the market run smoothly in line with conditions and fully meet legitimate foreign currency needs.

 

To improve gold market management, the SBV also proposed to the Government the introduction of Decree No. 232/2025/NĐ-CP on gold trading. Coming into effect on October 10, 2025, the decree will end the State monopoly on gold bars, expand gold bar production and raw gold imports, and is expected to make the market more competitive and transparent, Hà said.

 

In the final months of this year, Hà stressed that the SBV would continue to run monetary policy proactively, flexibly and in close coordination with fiscal and other policies to support economic growth while stabilising the macro-economy and controlling inflation. — BIZHUB/VNS

 

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