The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) published an update on banking system operations and policy-backed lending for Vietnam’s scheme to develop one million hectares of specialised high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation. SBV reported that banking services in localities have remained stable amid the shift to a two-tier local government model from 1 July 2025, and that banks have begun disbursing dedicated credit for the rice scheme. SBV confirmed that core activities including monetary and credit operations, cash services, payments, and inspection and supervision have continued without interruption. Regional SBV branches were instructed to support credit institutions with administrative and documentation issues arising from local government reorganisation, including changes to names, forms and seals. For the rice scheme, Agribank is the lead bank and is participating without a credit cap, while seven other commercial banks have registered around VND 17,000 billion for the pilot phase running to end-2025; by end-June 2025, reported disbursements totalled around VND 5,200 billion. SBV will continue directing commercial banks to proactively reach eligible borrowers to accelerate disbursements and will coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and relevant local authorities to address implementation bottlenecks.