Clients make transactions at Agribank's branch in the capital's Lang Ha Street. Total assets for the banking industry reached VND5,225 trillion ($237.51 billion) by the end of May. — VNS Photo Thai Ha

HA NOI (Biz Hub)— Total assets for the banking industry reached VND5,225 trillion (US$237.51 billion) by the end of May, the highest level since the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) decided to disclose the figure in June 2012.

Banking assets were up VND41.5 trillion against the previous month, the SBV reported, adding, however, that only State-owned banks, joint-ventures and foreign banks saw a rise in assets, of which state-owned banks contributed VND45.35 trillion and foreign banks,VND132 billion.

Total assets for joint-stock commercial banks was down VND34 billion, while those of financial leasing and finance companies were down more than VND3.1 trillion.

Compared to last year's figures, total assets for the banking industry surged to nearly VND140 trillion or 2.74 per cent. With the exception of financial leasing and finance companies, all other credit institutions saw a rise in total assets, with nearly VND64 trillion coming from state-owned banks, VND54 trillion from joint venture and foreign banks and more than VND22.5 trillion from joint-stock commercial banks.

By the end of May, equity for the banking industry grew by VND18.3 trillion against the previous month's figure of VND437.3 trillion following a decline of VND7 trillion in April. State-owned banks saw the highest rise in equity by VND17.2 trillion to VND153 trillion, while joint-stock commercial banks recorded the largest decline in equity at VND6.9 trillion.

By May's end, charter capital for the banking industry rose by nearly VND6.4 trillion from the previous month to VND400 trillion. VietinBank made the most impressive charter capital increase, becoming the commercial bank with the largest charter capital of VND32.6 trillion in Viet Nam after its Japanese partner BTMU transferred the money to buy 644 million shares on May 10, 2013.

SBV's data also showed that the loan-to-deposit ratio (LTD) for the banking industry by the end of May fell 12.56 percent against the previous month, while the capital adequacy ratio (CAR) was 14.25 per cent. —VNS