Banks strive to stimulate credit

The demand for loans from businesses and individuals often increases in the last months of the year, so banks are trying to stimulate credit demand, with the expectation that outstanding loans will increase more strongly.

Credit promotion motivation

According to Mr. Pham Hong Hai, General Director ofOCB Bank, boosted public investment and the recovery of the real estate market are the main driving forces helping the entire system's credit increase by nearly 10% in the first half of 2025.

Regarding the outlook for the last 6 months of the year, Mr. Hai commented that capital flows will focus on the production and business sectors and renewable energy projects. Recently, many enterprises have launched large-scale projects, creating positive signals and maintaining stable credit demand in the coming time.

Credit growth in the first half of 2025 was led by corporate credit, thanks to low lending rates. Meanwhile, retail credit growth slowed due to weak credit demand.

MB Securities Joint Stock Company (MBS) forecasts that credit growth in 2025 will reach about 17 - 18%. Lending activities in the last months of the year will be boosted by three main factors: public investment disbursement is boosted; the private economic sector accelerates thanks to Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW; and the direction of removing the "credit room".

Unleashing capital for small and medium enterprises

Speaking to Dau Tu Newspaper reporters, Mr. Tu Tien Phat, General Directorof ACB, said that the Bank is synchronously implementing many solutions, including: implementing a credit package of VND 40,000 billion with interest rates lower than the market, flexible financing products such as cash flow-based loans, overdrafts, long-term loans without collateral; supporting businesses to apply digital solutions in sales management, invoicing and payment; at the same time, connecting businesses with nearly 8 million individual customers and 300,000 corporate customers in the ACB ecosystem to expand the consumer market.

In fact, about 70% of small and medium-sized enterprises have difficulty borrowing capital due to lack of collateral, failure to demonstrate stable cash flow and unclear accounting records; only about 30% have access to unsecured loans or preferential programs.

Understanding this situation, ACB has shifted from the mindset of “lending only on assets” to “lending based on cash flow and operating capacity”, with solutions such as lending based on cash flow, with a limit of up to VND 10 billion, overdraft up to VND 3 billion, long-term loans with installments up to 15 years and no collateral required. Appraisal based on cash flow requires banks to closely monitor business operations and strictly manage risks, but this is the right direction to expand access to capital for dynamic and transparent businesses.

“To solve the problem of capital supply and demand, both banks and businesses need to change. Banks cannot apply a rigid model to all customers. At ACB, we develop a separate appraisal model for small and medium-sized enterprises, integrating digital management tools to both provide capital and help businesses improve operating standards. On the contrary, businesses need to standardize documents, be financially transparent and improve management capacity. When both sides move together, the meeting point will come at the right time and right demand,” Mr. Phat shared.

Similarly, OCB Bank is also focusing on the retail segment, small and medium enterprises, including start-ups. Accordingly, OCB chooses to support start-ups that have successfully implemented their ideas, demonstrated a viable business model and generated positive cash flow.

Mr. Pham Hong Hai said that normally, the capital demand of start-ups is not large. A short-term credit can have a significant impact, helping businesses access capital even without collateral. Many Vietnamese start-ups have been carefully assessed by investment funds before investing, helping banks minimize risks. OCB not only provides capital, but also accompanies start-ups through cash flow management solutions, digital banking services and connections within OCB's business ecosystem, to support customers in sustainable development.

In the retail sector, OCB chooses a segment-based approach. Specifically, the Bank divides customers into three main groups, including affluent (well-off customers), mass affluent (mass customers) and payroll mass (salary income group). Each segment has its own characteristics and financial needs, so OCB proactively builds appropriate product packages to best meet the needs of each group.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/nha-bang-no-luc-kich-cau-tin-dung-d366625.html