Vietnam c.bank says 2022 monetary policy to support recovery, eyes bad debt
Tuesday, December 28, 2021, 13:59 GMT+7
Vietnam's monetary policies in 2022 will aim to keep inflation under control, while supporting the country's economic recovery, the central bank said on Tuesday, as a deputy governor warned of the risk of a further rise in non-performing loans.
The Southeast Asian country's economic growth has traditionally relied heavily on increased credit, though authorities have been trying to reduce this dependence.
Total bank lending in Vietnam as of Dec 22 rose 12.68% from the end of 2020, according to a statement from the State Bank of Vietnam.
Vietnam's credit growth next year is expected to rise to around 14%, deputy central bank governor Dao Minh Tu told a news conference.
Tu said inflation this year would be well below the targeted 4%, adding the country's foreign exchange reserves were now above $100 billion.
Tu said the ratio of non-performing loans in the banking system is on the rise due to the coronavirus pandemic and could rise further.
"The ratio of loans potentially classified as bad debts is around 8.2%, and this could even increase further if the pandemic lasts for a longer time," Tu said.
The government has official economic growth targets of 6.5% for both this year and in 2022, but some analysts have warned that due to the pandemic growth this year could be 3% or lower.
