After SGGP newspaper published a series of articles titled "High interest rates weaken the economy", economists and the business community contributed their opinions on this issue.
After Vietcombank, HDBank has recently announced to lower lending interest rates for enterprises doing business in many industries with a total interest rate reduction of up to VND120 billion.
The State Bank of Vietnam said that the total amount of interest cut by 16 commercial banks committed to reducing interest rates and service fees for customers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic was more than VND12.23 trillion from July 15 to September 30, accounting for 59.36 percent of the commitment.
Since the beginning of 2021, Ho Chi Minh City has supported more than 406,000 customers with a total outstanding balance of more than VND471.19 trillion under the policies of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) on supporting businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the fourth quarter of 2021, the city will strengthen the Bank and Business Connection Program with a credit support package of about VND70 trillion.
Four State-owned commercial banks continue to commit to sparing a support package of VND4 trillion to cut interest rates and all banking service fees for customers in localities implementing social distancing under Directive No.16/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister.
Many commercial banks have announced a 0.5-3 percent cut in lending interest rates and many policies to support customers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, feedback from individual customers in Ho Chi Minh City shows that banks have refused to aid them, even when they are in blocked areas and need priority.
The wave of interest rate cuts has been activated, and it is forecasted that the interest rate level will remain low from now until the end of the year to support businesses and the economy amid the context that the Covid-19 pandemic prolongs as currently.
With an abundant source of money, many banks have launched credit stimulus packages and reduced lending interest rates for corporate and institutional customers.
According to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), by September 16, credit growth of the banking industry reached 4.81 percent. Although the State Bank of Vietnam has recently raised the credit growth limit for some effective credit institutions capable of expanding healthy credit into sectors serving economic growth, general credit in the banking system is still growing sluggishly.
The results of the survey on the business situation of enterprises in August this year by the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Business Association show that 40 percent of enterprises said that there are still many difficulties in recovering production and business activities after the Covid- 19 pandemic, 44 percent still face difficulties, 9 percent have started to overcome difficulties, and 5 percent have returned to a normal operational state.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic still negatively affected Vietnam’s stock market, as well as many countries around the world, Vietnam's stock market is recovering with good liquidity, showing that many positive factors have appeared.
To support enterprises and borrowers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, banks have simultaneously cut their interest rates by 0.5-2.5 percent per annum for loan packages.
Besides supporting customers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, commercial banks also introduced several support packages with interest rates lower than usual interest rates by 0.5 to 3 percent per annum, worth around VND250 trillion (US$10.66 billion), for both corporate and individual customers to stimulate credit demand.
The recent sharp interest rate cut of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) is said to be in time and will affect positively enterprises but these impacts are in the medium and long term.
After the State Bank of Vietnam adjusted the ceiling of the mobilizing interest rates in Vietnamese dong for terms below six months, on March 18, commercial banks also simultaneously cut mobilizing interest rates for below-six-month terms.
With declining interest rates and loosened monetary policy, investors expected that the Vietnam’s stock market will prosper in the last quarter of this year and might prolong to the first quarter of next year.
