SHB honored as “Best SME Bank for Sustainable Finance”

DNHN - With sustainable financial solutions and a diverse range of digital products/services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), SHB has been honored as the "Best SME Bank for Sustainable Finance".

Alpha Southeast Asia magazine honored Saigon-Hanoi Bank (HoSE: SHB) with the award "Best SME Bank for Sustainable Finance." As one of the four largest private joint-stock commercial banks in the country, SHB consistently supports businesses and the public throughout their development journey, effectively fulfilling its crucial role as a capital channel for the economy in general and providing sustainable financial solutions and preferential interest rate credit packages for SMEs in particular.

The bank affirms its reputation and position in the international market, being a reliable partner of many financial institutions such as WB, IFC, ADB, in bringing credit flows to clean energy projects, "green" projects, and SMEs, especially those led by women.

A notable achievement for SHB recently was the signing of a $120 million credit agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). This credit helps SHB expand its SME lending portfolio, including women-led businesses and supply chain enterprises. Additionally, IFC will support and advise SHB in developing business strategies, enhancing management and risk management capabilities to international standards.

In the ADB-funded project "Support to Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 on Women-Led Businesses," SHB is leading among the five participating banks. SHB also provided credit for the Happy Rice Mill project, which uses advanced technology with low emissions, contributing to environmental protection and improving the quality of Vietnam's export rice products.

Amid economic recovery, SMEs are among the customers needing capital support to gradually overcome difficulties and expand their scale. SHB has launched many loan packages with attractive interest rate policies, totaling tens of thousands of billion VND, such as: an 11,000 billion VND package with preferential interest rates for SMEs for business production and car purchases; a 5,000 billion VND short-term preferential loan package for working capital needs; a 1,000 billion VND medium and long-term preferential loan package; and a 50 million USD preferential interest rate package for export-import businesses with interest rates starting from 4.5% per year.

An SHB representative shared: "The award 'Best SME Bank for Sustainable Finance' is a recognition and trust from domestic businesses as well as international organizations in SHB. The bank will continue to be a reliable companion, providing modern and optimal financial solutions tailored to customer needs, helping SMEs and businesses grow."

To help customers access capital more easily, SHB is promoting digital transformation, reforming, and simplifying internal processes and procedures, shortening loan approval times, and diversifying credit products suitable for customers' capital use purposes. The bank also actively participates in bank-business connection programs, directly meeting customers to listen and propose solutions to overcome difficulties, facilitating customers' access to capital for production and business. Additionally, SHB proactively provides non-financial solutions, supporting market connections for input and output in the business community, and offers corporate financial consulting and training to ensure strategies align with the current stage.

Furthermore, SHB offers a variety of convenient digital services/solutions for businesses and administrative units such as: collection services through the SLINK identifying account, trade finance services, collection services, and payroll services.

With cooperative activities, credit policies, and support solutions/products for businesses in general and SMEs in particular, SHB has been honored by reputable domestic and international organizations with various awards such as: "Best Micro SME Bank in Vietnam" by Alpha Southeast Asia, "Best SME Bank in Vietnam" by Finance Asia magazine. SHB was also ranked 137th by Fortune magazine in the list of the 500 largest financial corporations and businesses in Southeast Asia (Fortune Southeast Asia 500 - Fortune SEA 500) and 17th among Vietnamese financial institutions and businesses.

P.V