Total outstanding loans at credit institutions in Ho Chi Minh City were worth nearly 3.36 quadrillion VND (137.7 billion USD) as of September 30, a 0.72% increase from the previous month, according to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV).

Saigon-Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB) on October 17 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Busan Bank under BNK Financial Group of the Republic of Korea, officially establishing a comprehensive collaborative partnership between the two credit institutions, focusing on corporate, digital and investment banking.

The central province of Quang Binh’s Department of Planning and Investment has so far this year granted new registration certificates for the establishment of 435 enterprises, whose capital totals more than 5.24 trillion VND (213.26 million USD).

The Mekong Delta province of Long An’s Department of Industry and Trade on October 18 held a business networking event for local firms to meet and exchange information with the Vietnam Trade Office in the Republic of Korea (RoK) and a Korean business delegation.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has urged drastic measures to lift Vietnam out of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s list of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring (grey list) within two years.

Experts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) maintained their forecast for Vietnam’s GDP growth at 4.7% in 2023 but expressed their optimism about the medium-term prospects, with GDP growth predicted to reach 5.8% in 2024 and 6.9% in 2025.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Saudi Arabia from October 18-20 is expected to create a new impetus for bilateral ties and open up new prospects for future cooperation.

The 21st Vietnam International Plastics and Rubber Industry Exhibition (VietnamPlas 2023) opened in Ho Chi Minh City on October 18, attracting 625 exhibitors from 22 countries and territories, including China, India, France, Italy, Australia, Brazil, Russia, US and Vietnam.

With the drastic direction of the Government, ministries, sectors and localities, industrial production in the last months of 2023 will improve, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The General Department of Taxation has announced the list of top 1,000 corporate income taxpayers (V.1000) in Vietnam in 2022.

A trade and investment promotion forum was held in London on October 16 by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the West London Chamber of Commerce (WLCC), bringing together businesses from the two countries.

The 29th Vietnam International Medical, Hospital and Pharmaceutical Exhibition (Vietnam Medipharm Expo) is scheduled to take place in Hanoi from December 7 to 9.

Vietnamese businesses engaging in the global supply chain should secure compliance with sustainable development standards, including those on international labour, so as to access markets with whom Vietnam has signed free trade agreements (FTAs), according to Dang Duc Anh, Deputy Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM).

The National Electronic Authentication Centre (NEAC), Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC), Vietnam Banks Association and Certificate Authority and Digital Transaction Club (VCDC) on October 17 held a workshop on the role of personal digital signatures in online payment.

A gateway connecting Quang Ninh province and the capital city of Hanoi, Dong Trieu town is striving to become the fifth modern city of the northern coastal locality in 2023.

With an ambitious goal of producing 50,000 semiconductor engineers by 2030, Việt Nam is poised to supply talent to both domestic and international enterprises.

Banks and businesses have long been waiting for a legal framework covering Vietnam's fintech development, said industry experts and insiders.

In the third quarter of 2023, a notable variance is anticipated in the profits of commercial banks, with some continuing to experience double-digit growth, while others see a sharp downturn.

Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi and Algerian Minister of Industry and Pharmaceutical Production Ali Aoun co-chaired the Vietnam-Algeria Business Forum in Hanoi on October 17.

A workshop was held in Hanoi on October 16 to seek measures to improve the cooperation of agricultural cooperatives associated with the development of OCOP (one commune one product) products in the capital city.