On December 12, 2024, in Hanoi, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) organized a Conference to disseminate the tasks of the banking sector in 2025. Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc attended and delivered a keynote speech at the Conference.
Governor Nguyen Thi Hong delivers her opening speech
In her opening speech at the Conference, SBV Governor Nguyen Thi Hong emphasized that 2024 has been a year in which the world economy has continued to experience many unprecedented developments. As an economy with big openness, Vietnam has been affected strongly by those developments, creating a lot of pressure on the management of the monetary policy and the exchange rate in Vietnam
In the domestic market, in spite of the improvements in the economic recovery, the internal weaknesses need more time to be fully addressed. This has posed a great challenge to the SBV’s monetary policy management and the state management over the banking operations in order to achieve the objectives of controlling the inflation, supporting the economic growth, while still ensuring safe and sound banking operations, reducing the interest rates in parallel with maintaining the stability of the exchange rate, etc.
Contributing to promoting the economic growth in association with maintaining the socio-economic stability and the inflation control
2024 has been a year marking a lot of successes of the banking sector, reflected through the following aspects: the monetary policy management has contributed to controlling the average inflation for 11 months at 3.69%; the measures of resolving the difficulties and the credit policies have contributed to supporting the economic growth rate at a high level as compared to that of the world and other countries in the region; the common interest rates have been reduced in comparison with those of the end of 2023; the exchange rate has been basically stable in the context of remarkable fluctuations in the international markets,…
Regarding the restructuring of the banking system, the SBV had obtained significant progress in resolving the poor-performing banks. In 2024, two of the four poor-performing banks had been compulsorily transferred. The transfers of the two remaining banks have been submitted to the competent authorities for approval.
Regarding payments and the digital transformation, in 2024, the banking sector has continued to play a pioneering and leading role, receiving high recognition from the National Steering Committee for Digital Transformation.
Deputy Governor Dao Minh Tu speaks at the Conference
Reporting more specifically on the results of the banking operations in 2024 Deputy Governor Dao Minh Tu emphasized that the monetary policy management has contributed to maintaining the macro-economic stability, controlling the inflation, supporting the liquidity of the credit institutions, and maintaining the stability in the money and the forex markets. The SBV had continued to maintain the key interest rates in the context that the interest rates around the world had been kept at high levels; thereby contributing to supporting the economic growth. Up to now, the common lending interest rates have been reduced by an average of 0.96% as compared to those of the end of 2023.
The SBV has also managed the exchange rate in a flexible manner, in consistency with the monetary policy tools. Thanks to that, the stability of the forex market has been maintained; the foreign currency liquidity has been smooth; the legitimate demands for foreign currencies have been fully met; the exchange rate has experienced flexibly in both directions in line with the market conditions.
Conducting synchronous measures, facilitating customers’ access to bank credit
Regarding the credit management, thanks to the SBV’s synchronous measures, as of December 13, 2024, the credit of the entire economy had increased by 12.5% as compared to the end of 2023. Credit has been focused on production and business activities, and the priority areas. Moreover, the SBV had continued to direct the credit institutions to accelerate the implementation of the preferential credit programs, including the credit program worth VND 120,000 billion on lending to social housing, workers’ housing, renovation and reconstruction of old apartment buildings; the credit programs for the forestry and the fisheries sectors, etc.
Regarding the management of the gold trading activities, with the SBV’s consistent measures and the close coordination with the relevant Ministries and agencies, up to now, the main objective of resolving and controlling the gap between the world gold price and the price of SJC branded bullions has been achieved.
An overview of the Conference
The stability and the safety of the credit institution system had continued to be ensured; the legitimate rights of depositors have been ensured. Non-performing loans have continued to be resolved and controlled despite the difficulties in the economy, affecting the repayment capacity of many businesses.
The legal frameworks, mechanisms, and policies for cashless payment and digital banking have been improved, creating favorable conditions for the development of cashless payment and the promotion of digital banking, the application of new technologies, and ensuring the security and safety of payment activities. Additionally, the SBV has strengthened the communication and the financial education to improve the public awareness, skills, and access to banking services in the cyber environment. As a result, non-cash payments and the digital transformation in the banking sector have achieved positive results. The legal documents on monetary and banking operations have continued to be improved in alignment with the international standards and practices.
Continuing to closely monitor the market developments, manage the monetary policy in a proactive, flexible and effective manner
In the coming time, the SBV would continue to closely monitor the market developments, the domestic and international economic situations to manage the monetary policy in a proactive, flexible and effective manner, in close collaboration with the fiscal policy in order to support the economic growth, promote production and business activities, and contribute to maintaining the macro-economic stability and the inflation control. Specifically, the SBV would focus on the following tasks:
Firstly, managing the interest rates in line with the market developments, the macro-economic conditions, the inflation and the monetary policy objectives;
Secondly, closely monitoring the market situations to operate the exchange rate in a flexible and appropriate manner, in close collaboration with the monetary policy tools, contributing to controlling the inflation and maintaining the macro-economic stability;
Thirdly, continuing to monitor and direct the credit institutions to achieve safe and effective credit growth, focusing credit on production and business activities, the priority areas, as well as the growth drivers; continuing to strictly control credit for potentially risky sectors; reviewing and simplifying the lending procedures, facilitating enterprises’ and individuals’ access bank credit,…
Fourthly, actively and effectively implementing the Scheme of restructuring the credit institution system in association with NPL resolution for the 2021-2025 period, contributing to developing a prudent banking sector; accelerating the NPL resolution, and improving the credit quality, preventing and minimizing newly arising NPLs;
Fifthly, concentrating on implementing Decree No. 52/2024/ND-CP regulating cashless payment operations; continuing to implement the tasks mentioned in the Plan for implementing the Scheme on Cashless Payment Development for the 2021-2025 period, and the Digital Transformation Plan of the banking sector; strengthening the measures to ensure the security and the safety for online payment activities; enhancing the communication and the financial education to improve the public awareness and skills in accessing banking and financial products and services.
Le Hang