Lending, support and investment activities of the National Data Development Fund

Decree No. 160/2025/ND-CP dated June 29, 2025 of the Government specifically regulates the lending, support and investment trust activities of the National Data Development Fund (hereinafter referred to as the Fund).

Trust fund for banks to make loans

Regarding the method of entrusted lending , Decree 160/2025/ND-CP stipulates: The trust fund is assigned to state-owned commercial banks and policy banks (hereinafter referred to as banks) to carry out lending.

Lending is done in the form of secured lending.

The Decree also specifically stipulates the subjects eligible for loans from the Fund, including:

a) Organization providing data products and services;

b) Organize the implementation of production and business projects on the application of science , technology, and innovation in construction, development, protection, administration, processing, and use of data;

c) Organize the implementation of data technology development projects.

Borrowers of the Fund must meet the following conditions:

a) Have legal status established in accordance with the provisions of Vietnamese law;

b) At the time of loan application, there are no tax debts or bad debts at credit institutions or foreign bank branches.

Production and business projects eligible for loans must meet the following requirements:

a) The project's technology is under the legal use of the organization and is not on the list of technologies restricted from transfer or the list of technologies prohibited from transfer;

b) Project products are manufactured and circulated in accordance with the provisions of law.

Loan trust interest rate, loan trust fee

The interest rate for short, medium and long term loans is equal to 80% of the lowest commercial loan interest rate. The lowest commercial loan interest rate is determined based on the comparison of the average loan interest rate of the four state-owned commercial banks with the largest total assets at the time of determining the Fund's loan interest rate.

Annually or periodically, based on the principle of determining interest rates, the Fund Director shall announce the Fund's lending interest rates.

The loan trust fee is the amount of money the Fund must pay to the bank to carry out the loan trust, agreed upon by both parties, in accordance with legal regulations.

Regarding the loan amount and loan term , according to the Decree: The total loan amount of the Fund to an organization must not exceed 15% of the Fund's actual operating budget at any time.

The loan term is determined in accordance with the organization's ability to recover capital, its ability to repay debt and the specific conditions of each production and business project, but not exceeding 05 years.

Fund Support Activities

The Decree specifically stipulates the Fund's cost support items, including: Support for living expenses for graduate students and scientists of scientific and technological organizations whose research works meet the conditions and criteria specified in Article 27 of this Decree with a support level of 10 million VND/01 month.

Support the cost of purchasing data resources for innovative start-up businesses, individuals, and groups of individuals that meet the conditions and criteria in Article 27 of this Decree with a maximum support level of VND 1 billion/01 project or research work.

Support the cost of renting a working area and an incubator facility to conduct research activities in the field of data science for innovative start-up enterprises, individuals and groups of individuals meeting the conditions in Article 27 of this Decree with a maximum support level of VND 1 billion/01 project or research work.

Support costs for research, policy and law development, and perfecting institutions and legal systems on data to serve national data development and national digital transformation with a maximum support level of 1 billion VND/1 project or research work.

Support costs for renting and purchasing information technology infrastructure and tools for construction, development, protection, administration and data processing for innovative start-up enterprises, individuals and groups of individuals meeting the conditions in Article 27 of this Decree with a maximum support level of VND 1 billion/01 project or research work.

Support for paying loan interest for subjects specified in Clause 1, Article 20 of this Decree who borrow capital from credit institutions to implement projects serving construction, development, protection, administration, and data processing, the interest rate support level is 2%/year and not exceeding 1 billion VND/1 project, research work, except for cases that have borrowed capital from the Fund.

Conditions and criteria for receiving support:

Have research projects related to construction, development, protection, administration, and data processing activities approved by scientific and technological organizations when implementing.

Have a feasible production and business project, exploiting intellectual property as prescribed in the Law on Intellectual Property or new technology as prescribed in the Law on Technology Transfer or new business model related to the activities of construction, development, protection, administration and data processing.

The Fund implements a number of forms of capacity building support.

Based on the operating capital and annual operating plan, the Fund implements a number of forms of capacity building support as follows:

1. Organize seminars, exhibitions, competitions, communications, training, coaching, consulting related to the field of data science.

2. Carry out trade promotion.

3. Promote international cooperation in the field of data through research programs, expert exchanges and international events; prioritize support for domestic enterprises to receive data-related technology transfer from international partners.

4. Reward organizations and individuals with outstanding achievements in the work of building, developing, protecting, managing and processing data; organizations and individuals who voluntarily contribute data under their ownership to Party, State agencies, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and socio-political organizations.

The Decree clearly states that the total capacity building support level of the Fund during the year shall not exceed 30% of the actual capital at the beginning of the fiscal year.

Fund Investment Activities

The Decree clearly states: The Fund's investment activities for each project have a term of no more than 05 years.

The Fund shall not contribute capital or invest in the real estate sector; shall not contribute capital or purchase shares in banks, insurance companies, securities companies, venture capital funds, securities investment funds or securities investment companies, except in special cases as decided by the Prime Minister .

The Fund is not allowed to contribute capital, buy shares, or buy the entirety of another enterprise whose manager or representative is a family member as prescribed in the Law on Enterprises with the Director, Deputy Director, or Chief Accountant of the Fund.

It is not allowed to contribute capital with a subsidiary to establish a joint stock company, limited liability company or execute a business cooperation contract.

The Fund is not allowed to use assets that the Fund is leasing, borrowing, keeping, or consigning to invest outside the Fund.

The Fund must make investments in accordance with the Fund's operating objectives and is only responsible for the Fund's debts and other financial obligations within the scope of the invested capital.

The Decree clearly states that investment subjects include: Innovative startups providing products and services related to data; Innovative startups implementing production and business projects on the application of science, technology, and innovation in construction, development, protection, administration, processing, and use of data.

Regarding the form, conditions and investment level of the Fund , the Decree stipulates two forms of investment of the Fund including: Contributing capital to establish; purchasing shares and capital contributions of enterprises.

Conditions and investment level: Innovative start-up enterprises subject to regulations in Article 35 of this Decree are enterprises that are not listed on the stock exchange; are not public companies; and have charter capital of over 2 billion VND.

Investment level: Investment fund 1 billion VND/1 enterprise.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/hoat-dong-cho-vay-ho-tro-dau-tu-cua-quy-phat-trien-du-lieu-quoc-gia-20250629201018306.htm