INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND COMMUNICATION IN 2015

 In an evaluation report of the World Bank, currently in all over the world, approximately 2 billion people (equivalent to 38% of adults worldwide) do not have access to formal financial services and 73% of the poor cannot access to banking services. In the context, universal financial access is considered key to reducing poverty and improving lives. As the leading bank offering microfinance services in Vietnam, VBSP after 13 years of operation have been promoting universal financial access to various vulnerable groups in the society besides the poor. Universal financial access is a journey parallel to sustainable poverty reduction and ensuring social security of VBSP in Vietnam. On the journey, active international cooperation and communication has helped attract external support, not only credit funding for more target groups, but also utilities, added services and technical assistance for microfinance clients.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

1. The Forest Sector Development Project

Under the Forest Sector Development Program (FSDP) signed between the Vietnam Government and the World Bank (WB), VBSP is responsible for financing Production Forest Plantation component. The goal of this component is to develop 56,000 ha of production forest in four provinces of central Vietnam: Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh.

In 2005, the Ministry of Finance (MOF), on behalf of Vietnamese Government, signed a sub-agreement with VBSP to give a sub-loan of USD 27.2 million for commercial forestation loans (production forestation) with the preferential lending rate of 0.75% per year.

As of 31 December 2015, FSDP project deployed in 34 districts of 6 provinces, including: Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, the total outstanding loans reached more than VND 535 billion with 17,662 active borrowers.

2. The Rural Income Diversification Project in Tuyen Quang province

Under an agreement between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to implement the Rural Income Diversification Project in Tuyen Quang province (RIDP), the Vietnamese Government gave VBSP a sub-loan of SDR 1,12 million (equivalent to USD 1,43 million) with the lending rate of 0.75% per year (2003-2022).

The project aims at socio-economic development of its target groups, who are the poor and small-scale business households, suppliers of seedlings and agriculture materials at Region II and III in project area. New lending methodology of wholesale through the credit and savings groups is employed under the project.

As of 31 December 2015, the total outstanding loans reached nearly VND 17 billion with 389 active borrowers.

3. Lending program for small and medium enterprises (KFW project)

Within the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Program’s framework, VBSP was allowed by the Prime Minister to take out a loan of an amount equaling to EUR 10 million from the German Government source, which is funded through the German Reconstruction Bank (KfW) in 2 phases with 0.75% interest rate and 0.25% commitment fees.

The project aims at setting up a credit revolving fund to provide loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in 22 project areas.

By the end of 2015, total loans outstanding of the program is nearly VND 116 billion, implemented in 19 provinces and cities with 321 active SMEs borrowers.

4. Participatory Resources Management Project in Tuyen Quang province

 The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Vietnam (GoV) has the consent to select VBSP to implement the Participatory Resources Management Project in Tuyen Quang province (PRMP) with an amount of USD 3,724,000. The interest rate is 2/3 of the calculated rate, which is equal to the average lending interest rate to VBSP borrowers minus the operation expenditure and the norm profit.  

The project has the goal to improving income and living standards of people in the project area, especially those who are the poor in ethnic communities and have limited access to banking services. The total outstanding loans reached nearly VND 44.5 billion with 2,267 active borrowers.

5. Coastal wet land development project (CWPD)

VBSP received an amount of USD 650,000 from the Supporting Social component of Coastal wet land development project (CWPD) funded by DANIDA to implement the project.

The project objectives are to provide credit for the poor households in the project area for income generation such as: planting, animal husbandry, small scale industry and small business that must be appropriate with the general target of wet forest protection.

The project scope includes 21 communes of 12 districts in four provinces: Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau. The total outstanding loans of the project are currently VND 758 million with 173 active borrowers. 

6. The Forestation and Sustainable Forestry Project (KfW6)

Under the financial agreement signed between the German Reconstruction Bank (KfW) and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to implement project “Afforestation and sustainable forestry management of natural forests in Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen”, VBSP takes charge of opening and managing deposit accounts for farming households and rural communities in the project areas. Each project beneficiary receives a non-refundable grant through the deposit account opened at VBSP district transaction office.

It aims to support afforestation and sustainable forestry management of 32,700 hectare of natural forests in 4 project provinces. The total grant value for KfW6 project’s components is EUR 3,712,710.

VBSP received additional VND 1.075 billion in 2015 to open deposit accounts for beneficiaries of the Project. By the end of 2015, VBSP manages 14 thousand accounts of project’s farming households with outstanding balance of VND 11 billion.

7. Community Hygiene Output-Based Aid (CHOBA) funded by the East Meets West Foundation (EMW), USD 3 million

This project was funded by the East Meets West Foundation (EMW), in collaboration with the Vietnam Women's Union and VBSP through savings accounts for the poor and near-poor households who borrowed money from VBSP to build sanitation facility.

Expectedly, around 100,750 to 125,750 the poor and near-poor households would borrow money to build sanitation facility in 8 provinces: Hai Duong, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Tien Giang, Dong Thap, Tra Vinh.

After 3 years of implementation, VBSP has disbursed loans to more than 100,000 poor and near poor households in 10 project provinces with annual average growth of 30%. The Project has mobilized approximately VND 6 billion to support repayment of 10,871 households to VBSP.

8. Project “Disability-inclusive finance: small finance for businesses employing, serving or owned by persons with disabilities” funded by the Nippon Foundation of Japan with the grant of USD 600,000 is piloted in Da Nang city.

The overall goal of this grant project is to promote micro and small enterprises which employing, serving or owned by PWDs so that the PWDs can have steady jobs or they can start and expand their own micro or small businesses to generate income sustainably and have economic independence, sustainable livelihood.

In the third year of Project implementation (2015), the Project was carried out in accordance with agreement between VBSP and Nippon Foundation with total grant of USD 191,900 and covered Ho Chi Minh city as supplemented project area. As of 31/12/2015, total loan outstanding of the Project is VND 4,490.12 million with 44 active borrowers who are enterprises hiring PWDs or producing products serving the PWDs. 

9. Project “Strengthen capacity of VBSP through improving skills of district office managements, piloting a new overseas remittance service and conducting the research on economic impact of VBSP policy credit” funded by Ford Foundation (Ford II) – the phase piloting Western Union overseas remittance service

In 2013, VBSP has collaborated with the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) to open 20 points of overseas remittance at VBSP provincial branches in Da Nang, Ninh Thuan, Thua Thien-Hue, Nghe An, Quang Binh and Phu Yen, increase the number of overseas remittance points up to 235 in 51 provinces and cities all over the country.

In 2015, the project had 380 transactions, valued at VND 7.144 billion.

10. Project “Application of new technology for mobile phone based products and services for VBSP” - (Mobile Banking)

VBSP and Asia Foundation signed an Agreement to implement the project of feasible study on application of new technology for mobile phone based products and services on 5^th August 2014 with total grant of over VND 881 million.

The purpose of this project is to improve more sustainable and effective and efficient access to financial services including credit and other services provided by VBSP for poor, low-income, and other vulnerable groups in Vietnam; promptly and effectively transform information to clients; strengthen risk management and diversify and modernize products and services, in contribution to implementation of the Development Strategy of VBSP till 2020.

In cooperation with financial and technology experts of Microsave and some domestic consulting firms, the Project has completed the feasibility study report with proposed implementation plan for two phases of SMS banking and Mobile banking. In the future, the Asia Foundation continues to propose for supporting VBSP in next stage of piloting SMS banking and Mobile banking to improve VBSP capacity and provide information and training to borrowers.   

INTERNATIONAL RELATION

1. Communication through international membership organizations

In 2015, VBSP has continuously enhanced the membership in international organizations such as: the Asia-Pacific Rural Agriculture and Credit Association (APRACA), the Banking the Poor (BWTP) and the Microfinance Information Exchange (the MIX) etc., where VBSP has pro-actively participated in international and global conferences on developing approaches, money laundering control and financial terrorism for non-banking financial institutions in the Philippines; the 66th APRACA EXCOM Meeting and Regional Workshop on “international forum on formulation of women financial empowerment and development framework towards sustainable development in the Asia – Pacific” held by APRACA in Babolsar city, Iran. 

2. Information and experience exchange

In 2015, VBSP welcomed and worked with such international organizations as World Bank (WB), Metlife Foundation, Asia Foundation, East Meet West Foundation, Green Climate Fund, Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), Nayoby Bank of Laos etc., which are precious chances for VBSP to exchange information and experience as well as expand cooperation relationship with international organizations and individuals.