DOMESTIC banks are joining forces in a bid to establish a non-cash payment system which is expected to boom over the next five years, a State Bank official has said.The official was speaking after the recent launch of a joint card service between the Technological and Commercial Bank (Techcombank) and the Bank of Foreign Trade (Vietcombank).

Local commercial banks are rushing to buy large volumes of municipal bonds even though the Ho Chi Minh City government has yet to officially launch the issuance. Vietcombank has registered to buy $25.5 million worth of bonds of the $77.6 million issue. The Vietnam Bank for Investment and Development (BIDV) has registered to buy $32.4 million.

The Ministry of Finance is to channel more than $103 million from the sale of government bonds to the five biggest state-run commercial banks by the end of this month. The banks to receive the capital are the Vietnam Foreign Trade Bank (Vietcombank), Vietnam Industrial and Commercial Bank (Vietincombank), Vietnam Bank for Investment and Development (BIDV), the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (VBARD) and Mekong Delta Housing Bank (MHB).