The State Bank of Vietnam used remarks by Deputy Governor Nguyen Ngoc Canh at the National Cooperative Forum III 2026 to set out how monetary and credit policy is being used to improve access to bank finance for cooperatives and the collective economy, including through preferential interest rates and targeted credit programmes. Key measures highlighted included keeping policy rates unchanged through 2025 and into early 2026 to support low-cost funding for credit institutions, and maintaining a cap on short-term VND lending rates for priority sectors, under which eligible cooperative borrowers can access loans at a maximum of 4% per year. The update also pointed to recent regulatory changes to broaden credit access, including provisions in the Law on Credit Institutions 2024 and its 2025 amendments and implementing guidance that add a legal basis for electronic credit provision and allow small loans without requiring evidence of a borrowing plan. In agriculture-linked lending, the Deputy Governor cited the Government’s Decree 156/2025, submitted by the State Bank of Vietnam, which raised unsecured lending limits from VND 300 million to VND 500 million for individuals and households and to VND 5 billion for cooperatives and cooperative unions, and allows unsecured borrowing of up to 70%–80% of project value for cooperatives participating in enterprise linkages and applying high technology, alongside sector-specific risk-handling tools such as rescheduling with unchanged debt classification and debt deferrals in disaster or epidemic scenarios. Looking ahead, the State Bank of Vietnam indicated it will continue to review and refine the policy framework, push credit institutions to streamline credit processes and conditions for cooperatives, expand low-rate preferential credit programmes, and increase lending for cooperative–enterprise production linkages.
State Bank of Vietnam 2026-04-10
State Bank of Vietnam reiterates cooperative financing support with 4% VND priority lending cap and higher unsecured lending limits
The State Bank of Vietnam, via Deputy Governor Nguyen Ngoc Canh, detailed how monetary and credit policy is improving cooperative and collective economy access to bank finance through preferential interest rates and targeted credit programmes. Measures include keeping policy rates unchanged through early 2026, capping short-term VND lending rates for priority sectors at 4% per year, expanding electronic and small-loan credit access under the Law on Credit Institutions 2024 and its 2025 amendments, and raising unsecured lending limits for agriculture-linked borrowers under Decree 156/2025. The authority will refine the policy framework, streamline cooperative lending, expand low-rate programmes, and increase credit for cooperative–enterprise production linkages.