Banks will continue to tighten lending in risky sectors including securities, real estate, financial, and tourism business, seeing higher credit risks in the remaining months of this year, a survey carried out by the Monetary Forecasting and Statistics Department has said.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has flexibly operated monetary policy tools to maintain liquidity for the banking system, contributing to stabilising and recovering credit growth in the context of unpredictable impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Nguyen Thi Hong has requested that credit growth be achieved in tandem with improving credit quality, with a focus on manufacturing and priority areas.

Demand for credit may increase sharply since the second quarter, especially in fields of industrial production, exports, trade and tourism, said a senior official of the central bank.

Credit growth will expand significantly from Quarter 2 and exceed the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)’s target of 12% for the year as a whole if the pandemic is brought under good control and the vaccination campaign proves effective, according to insiders.

Real estate sales will be another key driver of credit growth, as apartment supply and sales are likely to pick up in 2021.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) targets a credit growth rate of 12% in 2021, equivalent to the growth of 12.13% last year, according to SBV Deputy Governor Dao Minh Tu.

Credit growth in Vietnam may reach 13-14% this year, partly driven by progress with the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a 2021 banking outlook report released by the SSI Securities Corporation on January 6.

Da Nang’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) has been estimated to be down 9.77% this year to about VND100 trillion compared to 2019 due to COVID-19, a press conference held on December 29 to announce the central city’s socio-economic figures for 2020 heard.

The banking industry's credit is projected to have expanded 11% for the year by the end of December, Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Dao Minh Tu revealed at a press conference on December 24.