HÀ NỘI — The credit growth of the Vietnamese banking system has been positive since the first quarter of this year and flowed strongly into production, business, real estate and consumption, which has contributed to supporting economic recovery.

The Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), Phạm Tiến Dũng, said that credit growth in early 2025 showed signs of improvement compared to the same period in 2024. As of March 20, outstanding loans reached nearly VNĐ15.93 quadrillion, up 1.98 per cent compared to the end of 2024 and up 17.60 per cent compared to the same period in 2024.

The higher credit growth since the beginning of the year shows that the demand for loans from businesses and individuals is gradually recovering. Preferential credit packages and monetary easing policies from the SBV have continued to be effective, helping commercial banks expand lending with more reasonable interest rates.

Previously, in the first two months of 2025, the SBV issued 10 documents directing credit institutions to implement solutions to increase credit growth, simplify procedures and apply digital transformation technology to the credit granting process. Credit institutions were also required to strictly implement the direction of the Government, the Prime Minister and the SBV in stabilising interest rates and reducing lending rates.

With positive growth momentum from the beginning of the year, experts predict that credit will continue to accelerate in the following quarters and the driving force for the credit growth in 2025 will come from the strong recovery of the economy. The SBV targets credit growth of 16 per cent for the year as a whole, while still strictly controlling credit quality to limit bad debt risks. — BIZHUB/VNS