An Binh Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ABBANK) has officially launched its "Capacity Building Program on Green Banking". The program is funded by the Japan Poverty Reduction Fund through the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and is part of the ADB's Technical Assistance Framework TA10094-VIE: Promoting Inclusive Finance and Climate Financing for the Government of Vietnam. The Capacity Building Program is implemented by the consulting firm PwC.
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| Representing ABBANK, Mr. Pham Duy Hieu – General Director, presented flowers to the leaders of the partner companies: Mr. Shantanu Chakraborty – Country Director of ADB in Vietnam and Ms. Dinh Thi Quynh Van - Chairman of PwC Vietnam Co., Ltd. |
The implementation of the "Green Banking Capacity Building" program is part of ABBANK's plan to focus on cultivating and nurturing sustainable development initiatives that adhere to ESG (Environment, Society, Governance) standards, aiming to promote innovation in green finance, sustainable development, and enhance the social responsibility of the Bank and its corporate clients.
BBANK is implementing this program with support from major partners such as ADB through PwC and the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) on technical capacity building for green finance, including the development of green finance products and services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and women-owned and/or women-operated SMEs (WSMEs).
The project aims to support ABBANK in assessing gaps in the implementation of green banking, green finance, and sustainable finance, helping the Bank enhance its capacity and build a roadmap for implementing proposals aimed at expanding its green finance portfolio, including: Compliance with national and international standards on sustainable finance; Development of information disclosure reports consistent with domestic and international standards; and Development of green finance products aligned with the Bank's strategy, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises owned and/or operated by women, as part of the Bank's efforts toward transitioning to a green economy .
Specifically, PwC will collaborate with ABBANK to conduct a comprehensive assessment including several key aspects such as: evaluating the green credit portfolio according to domestic and international standards, classified by project size (large, SME, WSME); reviewing the bank's green finance strategy and policies; evaluating the credit process for green finance loans (from application to loan approval, including WSME loans); and reviewing existing green credit products.
The project assessed the Management Information System (MIS) for monitoring, classifying, and reporting the green credit portfolio; evaluated the ability to identify and manage environmental risks (including climate change risks) and social risks associated with loans, and the risk management capacity related to green projects; assessed the ability to develop and issue green bonds for the Bank and its customers; reviewed key performance indicators (KPIs) related to green banking and related information disclosure; and evaluated green finance strategies for specific sectors. Simultaneously, ABBANK received support from the project for capacity building training for its specialized personnel.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Shantanu Chakraborty – ADB Country Director for Vietnam, said: “We are delighted to see ABBANK demonstrate a strong commitment to promoting sustainable finance with the establishment of the Sustainable Development Strategy Committee on Environment, Society and Governance (ESG) to develop, implement and monitor ESG-related activities, programs and initiatives, ensuring alignment with the bank’s sustainable development strategy.”
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ABBANK officially launches the "Capacity Building Program for Green Banking". The program is funded by the Japan Poverty Reduction Fund through ADB. The Capacity Building Program is implemented by PwC. |
The “Green Banking Capacity Building” program for ABBANK aligns with ADB’s operational priorities under the ADB’s 2030 Strategy and Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Vietnam, aiming to support Vietnamese banks in enhancing their green finance capabilities and greening their banking operations. The program is expected to be implemented and completed by ABBANK within 20 months, further laying a solid foundation and demonstrating ABBANK’s strong commitment to sustainable governance, operations, and business practices, contributing to a sustainable financial future with the community.
Sharing his thoughts on the project, Mr. Pham Duy Hieu – General Director of ABBANK – stated: “Today's launch ceremony is not only an important milestone in the implementation of the technical assistance program, but also a testament to the spirit of effective cooperation, mutual respect, and shared commitment to sustainable development among all parties. We expect that, through this program, ABBANK will gradually improve its green banking competency framework, thereby creating a solid foundation for expanding cooperation with international financial institutions and partners who share the same orientation towards green and sustainable development in the future.”
Recently, also in June 2025, within the framework of other ADB technical assistance, and funded by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), ABBANK implemented a Gender Gap Assessment program and several activities to support gender awareness among bank staff. The Gender Gap Assessment, conducted by the international consulting firm Palladium and Mekong Economics, included both quantitative and qualitative evaluations, forming the basis for a report with recommendations on areas where the bank needs improvement in incorporating a gender perspective into its operations to leverage advantages, potential, and build approaches tailored to the specific characteristics and needs of female customers, women-owned businesses, and WSMEs.
The Gender Gap Assessment program is expected to be implemented and completed within 5 months. Prior to this, in November 2024, ABBANK, ADB, and ERM also launched a project to build an "Environmental and Social Management System" (ESMS) for Trade Finance activities. Along with projects aimed at a green financial future, in 2025 ABBANK will also strengthen cooperation with organizations and businesses such as SVF, VietED Group, and the 315 Health System… to jointly implement business initiatives and serve society in a profound way, creating a long-term impact on the community. This is not only ABBANK's long-term strategy, but also reaffirms ABBANK's strong commitment to implementing sustainable development goals in Vietnam.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/abbank-adb-va-pwc-cung-khoi-dong-chuong-trinh-nang-cao-nang-luc-ve-ngan-hang-xanh-d327233.html
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