Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company, on November 30 announced the general availability of AWS Outposts in Vietnam.

Today, the Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi, its commercial section Innovation Norway, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) organised a webinar titled “Multi-stakeholders approach – a key to successful circular economy”.

Five years of banking reform are at risk of being wiped away if the bad debt ratio rises again, requiring new legislation for debt settlement with judicious changes to the present framework. Nevertheless, the detrimental influence of the pandemic is not predicted to significantly lower banks’ profit adjustment, credit growth, or net interest margin.

"Future of Trade 2030: Trends and markets to watch" – a new research by Standard Chartered – projects that global exports will almost double from $17.4 trillion to $29.7 trillion over the next decade. The report reveals 13 markets that will drive much of this growth, identifies major corridors, and five trends shaping the future of global trade. Vietnam is a key driver of this global trade growth, with its exports projected to grow at an average annual rate of more 7 per cent to cross $535 billion by 2030.

The active engagement of Vietnam Bank for Social Policies has provided ample support the government’s efforts to combat the pandemic and protect the most vulnerable in society.

While most of the fundamentals are in place, and Vietnam’s capital markets are positively flourishing, with rising bank coverage and a robust fintech scene, there is surprisingly little in the way of microfinance institutions. Vietnam needs to bring its regulatory framework up to speed to open up the way for this important financing channel for the benefit of individuals and small-scale enterprises.

The message for the world from the recent COP26 meeting in Glasgow is clear – we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions and one of the biggest sources is energy. But how do we balance the growing need for energy across Asia-Pacific, with the imperative to reduce such emissions?

Remittance inflows to Vietnam are predicted to reach $18.1 billion in 2021, according to a recent announcement from the World Bank and the Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD).

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) could delay the roadmap of setting a maximum rate of short-term capital to provide medium- and long-term loans outlined in Circular No.22/2019/TT-NHNN dated November 15, 2019.

Government bonds may be a good measure to mobilise funds for the economic recovery plan. However, businesses may find it difficult to borrow capital in foreign currency from banks.

Banks are showing strong desire in bond issuance activities, while real estate developers have lowered the extent of their bond-related capital mobilisation efforts.

Ho Chi Minh City-based Viet Capital Securities JSC (HSX: VCI) has just announced its $100 million syndicated loan contract with a consortium of foreign banks.

By the end of this third quarter, more than $11.26 billion of policy credit under diverse government support packages came to needy households and other policy beneficiaries through the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) system, helping many locals to escape poverty in a sustainable manner.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 500 million USD loan to help Indonesia recover its economy following COVID-19 pandemic.

Across Asia, governments face the difficult task of delivering sustained economic recovery while managing the unpredictable transition of COVID-19 from a pandemic to an endemic disease. According to a study by the Asian Development Bank, economic losses for developing Asia were estimated at 6.0-9.5 per cent of regional GDP in 2020 and 3.6-6.3 per cent in 2021, largely from declines in domestic demand, tourism, and from global spillovers. In the early stages of the pandemic, cloud computing powered a rapid shift to remote work and distance learning. Now, digital technology – and the cloud computing services that underpin most digitisation – can catalyse economic recovery by enabling organisations to adapt nimbly to ever-changing circumstances.