In strong support of the Government’s and State Bank of Vietnam’s efforts to channel credit toward production and business activities, Saigon – Hanoi Bank (SHB) proactively incorporated targeted lending support into its 2026 business plan from the outset of the year. The Bank allocated VND45 trillion in preferential credit for SME customers, individuals, and household businesses, offering interest rate reductions of up to 2 percentage points per annum. To further accelerate credit flows into priority sectors, SHB has allocated an additional VND2 trillion for new customers operating in manufacturing, exports, high-tech industries, supporting industries, agriculture, innovation, and other priority areas. Customers under the program will benefit from interest rates 0.5–0.7 percentage points lower than prevailing rates. The program is effective from 17 August 2026 until the allocated funding is fully disbursed, bringing SHB’s total preferential credit package for SMEs, individuals, and household businesses since the beginning of the year to VND47 trillion.
At the same time, SHB is pursuing a dual objective: continuing to optimize operational efficiency, strengthen credit quality, enhance financial capacity, and expand international funding sources, thereby creating greater capacity to support businesses and unlock capital flows to the key growth drivers of the broader economy, while ensuring the Bank’s own growth remains safe, efficient, and sustainable.
Closely aligned with the Government and State Bank’s policy direction
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are widely regarded as the backbone of the economy, yet access to credit remains a key challenge to sustaining and expanding business operations. As Vietnam targets high economic growth, unlocking credit flows to this segment has become increasingly critical—not only to strengthen businesses’ operating capacity, but also to generate further momentum for production, employment and supply chains.
Against this backdrop, the Government and the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) continue to encourage credit institutions to reduce operating costs, create room for lower lending rates and improve businesses’ access to financing.
Closely aligned with this direction, SHB proactively prioritizes credit for the production and business sector, with a focus on priority sectors and key growth drivers, including agriculture and rural development, supporting industries, high technology, import-export activities, the digital economy, artificial intelligence, the semiconductor industry, processing and manufacturing, as well as nationally significant projects. Through these efforts, SHB is supporting businesses in boosting productivity, accelerating technological innovation, increasing value creation and strengthening competitiveness.
Specifically, from the beginning of 2026, SHB proactively incorporated a VND 45 trillion preferential credit package into its business plan for SMEs, individual customers and household businesses, offering interest rate reductions of up to 2 percentage points per annum. To further channel credit into priority sectors, SHB has added another VND 2 trillion for new customers operating in manufacturing, exports, high technology, supporting industries, agriculture, innovation and other priority areas, with lending rates reduced by 0.5–0.7 percentage points from prevailing rates. The program is effective from 17 August 2026 until the allocated credit is fully disbursed.
This brings SHB’s total preferential credit allocation for SMEs, individual customers and household businesses since the beginning of the year to VND 47 trillion. In parallel, the bank is rolling out additional credit programs tailored to a broad range of corporate and individual customers in priority sectors, in line with the policy direction of the Government and the SBV.
In addition, the Bank is also developing a comprehensive financial solutions ecosystem, covering cash flow management, payments, trade finance, guarantees and supply chain finance. These solutions help businesses optimize the use of capital, improve financial efficiency and strengthen connectivity across their value chains.
Pursuing a dual objective: Supporting customers while driving sustainable growth
SHB’s preferential lending programs are underpinned by strong financial capacity, increasingly efficient operations and a more diversified funding structure. Together, these factors provide the headroom for the Bank to support and share with customers while maintaining its commitment to safe, efficient and sustainable growth.
As part of this approach, SHB is streamlining its organizational structure, accelerating end-to-end process digitalization and simplifying administrative procedures, while continuously driving innovation to enhance operational efficiency, shorten processing times and optimize costs. The Bank aims to reduce operating expenses by 10–15%, creating greater capacity to support customers and share the challenges they face.
At the same time, the Bank is stepping up international funding mobilization, including access to cost-efficient funding sources that provide a foundation for preferential lending programs, with a focus on sustainable businesses and the green economy. In 2025, SHB successfully secured two medium-term USD syndicated loans under ESG criteria, totaling USD 600 million, attracting participation from 26 international financial institutions. This further reinforces SHB’s credibility and standing in international financial markets.
The expansion of international medium-term funding, together with partnerships with international financial institutions and development organizations such as IFC and the World Bank, enables SHB to diversify its funding base and strengthen its ability to connect customers with financial resources to meet their capital needs.
SHB’s financial foundation has continued to strengthen, notably through the successful issuance of more than 750 million shares, bringing its charter capital to VND 53.442 trillion and positioning SHB among the Top 4 largest private joint stock commercial banks in Vietnam. SHB’s 2026 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders approved a total 16% dividend payout for 2025, comprising 10% in shares and 6% in cash. The bank is actively completing the necessary procedures and seeking regulatory approval to ensure the dividend payment is carried out in accordance with applicable regulations and the approved roadmap, while safeguarding shareholders’ interests. Upon regulatory approval, SHB’s charter capital is expected to increase to VND 58.786 trillion, further strengthening its financial foundation and resources for its long-term development strategy.
In addition, SHB is expected to complete the transfer of the remaining 50% stake in SHBFinance to Krungsri, a member of Japan’s MUFG Financial Group, in Q3 2026. The additional financial resources generated from the transaction will further strengthen SHB’s financial capacity and enable the bank to focus its resources on its core business areas.
By the end of the first half of 2026, SHB’s profit before tax reached VND 9.092 trillion, equivalent to 51% of its full-year target, while total assets stood at VND 962.667 trillion. The bank’s cost-to-income ratio (CIR) remained at 16%, among the best in the industry, underscoring its effective cost management as the scale of operations continued to expand. Alongside growth, SHB maintained disciplined credit quality and kept key prudential ratios at levels stronger than regulatory requirements and State Bank of Vietnam standards, ensuring a balanced approach to growth, business performance and risk management.
Building on its strong first-half performance, SHB continues to pursue its growth strategy underpinned by modern governance and technology, with a focus on enhancing asset quality, execution discipline, operational efficiency, capital strength and customer service capabilities. The bank continues to expand its customer ecosystem, partnering with corporations, general companies, strategic state-owned and private enterprises, cultural and social organizations, hospitals, schools, supply chains and value chains, while developing tailored solutions for SMEs and individual customers.
The “From the Heart” philosophy at the core of the Bank’s culture
Throughout its development journey, SHB has consistently embraced the policies and directions of the Government and the SBV, taking the lead in implementing practical solutions such as interest rate reductions, debt restructuring and credit support to help customers sustain their operations and overcome challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank rolled out various preferential lending programs and interest relief measures, while also contributing resources to pandemic prevention and control efforts. In response to the impact of natural disasters, storms and floods over the years, SHB has supported affected customers by reducing interest rates and providing financing packages to help rebuild and restore their business operations. At the same time, the bank has mobilized resources to support communities in flood-affected areas, help eliminate temporary and unsafe housing, and contribute to the early restoration of livelihoods and stability for local people.
SHB remains committed to fulfilling its social responsibility through meaningful community initiatives that embody compassion and the humanitarian spirit rooted in Vietnamese traditions, in line with the bank’s “From the Heart” philosophy. SHB continues to stand alongside customers and communities, creating and spreading positive values across society.
Building on 33 years of development, SHB is pursuing a comprehensive transformation strategy aimed at realizing its positioning as “a new-generation bank of national significance”. By 2030, SHB aims to become the No. 1 bank in terms of efficiency; a favorite digital bank; the best retail bank; and a leading provider of capital, financial products, and services to strategic corporate customers with green supply chain, green value chain and green-development ecosystems, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, and individual customers. By 2035, SHB aspires to become a modern, digital, and green bank among the leading banks in the region.