All emerging East Asian bond markets, except Vietnam, expand in Q2 Wednesday,  Sep 26, 2018,18:06 (GMT+7) HCMC – Vietnam’s local currency bond market was the only emerging East Asian market that contracted in the second quarter of this year, falling 1.4% quarter-on-quarter to roughly US$51 billion, following a 10.8% quarter-on-quarter rise in the first quarter, according to the latest quarterly update of the Asia Bond Monitor by the Asian Development Bank.

SBV concerned over lending to risky sectors Wednesday,  Sep 19, 2018,14:41 (GMT+7) HCMC – Although credit growth and lending to risky sectors are kept under control, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has expressed concern over the increasing credit for the real estate sector and build-operate-transfer (BOT) and build-transfer (BT) traffic projects, reported Sai Gon Dau Tu Tai Chinh newspaper.

Banks banned from disclosing client information Saturday,  Sep 15, 2018,17:15 (GMT+7) HCMC - The Government has issued Decree 117/2018, effective November 1, directing local credit institutions and branches of foreign banks to ensure that information remains confidential about their clients, and only provide information in line with the 2010 Law on Credit Institutions and relevant legal documents, reported news website VnEconomy.

VAMC, banks auction mortgaged assets to recover bad debts Tuesday,  Sep 11, 2018,17:25 (GMT+7) HCMC - Vietnam Asset Management Company (VAMC) and multiple banks have put up the mortgaged assets for auction to speed up the settlement of bad debts, according to Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper.

Central bank approves PGBank, HDBank merger Tuesday,  Sep 11, 2018,17:04 (GMT+7) HCMC – The State Bank of Vietnam has given in-principle approval for Petrolimex Group Commercial Joint Stock Bank (PGBank) to be merged into HCMC Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank), reported the local media.

Major banks join race to hike deposit rates Friday,  Sep 7, 2018,18:55 (GMT+7) HCMC – A few large commercial banks have adjusted upward their annual deposit rates following a hike in rates among small banks for call deposits of less than six months since mid-August, according to news website Vietnamplus.

Local firms planning AI, blockchain applications Thursday,  Aug 30, 2018,14:10 (GMT+7) HANOI - The number of enterprises in Vietnam applying artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology is small, but nearly a quarter of enterprises will apply similar technologies over the next three years, according to a report by Navigos Search.

Central bank says bad debt plunges as banking health improves Tuesday,  Aug 28, 2018,17:33 (GMT+7) HCMC – The total amount of bad debt has plunged after one year implementing a resolution of the National Assembly on dealing with problem loans, while credit institutions have seen their balance sheets improving, the State Bank of Vietnam said today, August 28.

Central bank urges ATM withdrawal limits at night Saturday,  Aug 25, 2018,15:26 (GMT+7) HCMC – The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has asked credit institutions and banks to impose limit on cash withdrawal at their automatic teller machines (ATMs) at night, in a bid to protect themselves and their clients.

Noncash payments for public services remain unpopular Friday,  Aug 24, 2018,20:41 (GMT+7) HANOI – A scheme to promote payments for public services through banks, including taxes, electricity and water bills, tuition fees, hospital bills and other social insurance programs, has yet to be executed on a large scale, despite being approved in February.

Expert urges issuance of decree on State capital management committee Tuesday,  Aug 21, 2018,15:33 (GMT+7) HCMC - With the inefficient supervision of business operations at State-owned enterprises (SOEs) causing losses of resources, a decree should quickly be issued on the Committee for State Capital Management, according to the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM).

Long-term capital shortage the key bottleneck in economic growth: forum Tuesday,  Aug 21, 2018,14:50 (GMT+7) HCMC – Speakers at the Vietnam Economic Forum taking place in Hanoi today drew attention to the shortage of long-term capital, saying it is the main bottleneck in the country’s economic development and urging the Government to have policies to address the issue.

SBV revises down exchange rate Monday,  Aug 20, 2018,19:06 (GMT+7) HCMC – The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) today, August 20, announced the central exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Vietnamese dong at VND22,684 per dollar, VND5 lower than the rate in the trading session last weekend, according to the local media.

SBV to divert more credits to eco-friendly projects Sunday,  Aug 19, 2018,09:22 (GMT+7) HCMC – The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has issued Decision No.1604/QD-NHNN, approving a scheme on developing green banks in the country by using credit to back eco-friendly projects, with the aim of raising awareness of local banks on the social responsibility in fighting climate change, reported the local media.