Boosting its support for Vietnam's green transition and sustainable development, IFC scaled up its long-term investment in the country with a strong focus on climate finance in the last fiscal year with total commitments reached over US$1.6 billion, including $750 million in long-term finance.

Hanoi from above. Photo: Vu Le/The Hanoi Times

Notably, a total of $310 million in new long-term financing from its own account was committed to projects that will help address climate change and marine plastic waste, a record for Vietnam.

The new commitments aim to bolster Vietnam's shift towards a low-carbon economy while enhancing private-sector resilience and competitiveness.

The country received the highest volume of IFC's own-account climate financing in fiscal year 2024 in the East Asia and the Pacific region.

Investment and advisory programs in the country also addressed other core development challenges, from food security and trade facilitation to manufacturing competitiveness. Notably, IFC provided $896 million in short-term trade and supply chain finance to local companies to boost trade flows, helping them grow business and create more jobs.  

IFC supported Vietnam’s first blue bond and green bond issued by Southeast Asia Joint Stock Commercial Bank (SeABank), which will help promote a sustainable ocean economy and increase climate resilience. SeABank was also the first private bank to issue a green bond in the country with IFC’s support. IFC also facilitated the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to invest $75 million in SeABank climate bonds, alongside IFC’s own investment.

Setting a precedent, IFC facilitated the issuance of the country’s first local currency sustainability-linked bonds, issued by BIM Land Joint Stock Company and its subsidiary, Thanh Xuan Joint Stock Company, which will help to foster a more sustainable tourism sector. Alongside the financing, IFC supported client banks and companies in the development of sustainable finance frameworks, laying the groundwork to scale up climate investments.

To promote greening the banking sector, IFC supported the State Bank of Vietnam in issuing environmental risk management regulations, which will create a level playing field and help local banks enhance their management systems to mitigate financial risks related to the environment and climate. Additionally, IFC, along with other development partners, is working with regulators to develop a green taxonomy for Vietnam.

“As a global leader in climate finance, IFC is well positioned to introduce innovative climate financing instruments to the local market as an alternative source of capital for climate-smart projects,” said Thomas Jacobs, IFC Country Manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. “IFC's funding will signal the viability of a climate-finance market in Vietnam, encouraging banks to tap into this new segment and pushing real sector investors to align their interests with responsible investment and mobilize funding from sustainable capital markets, supporting the country's low-carbon growth model."

In the real sector, the IFC advised agribusinesses on sustainable rice farming and manufacturers in hard-to-abate industries on adopting greener solutions. With IFC’s support in the improvement of Vietnam's legal framework for carbon markets, a revised decree on GHG emissions mitigation and the development of carbon markets is expected to be issued soon. Efforts are also focused on promoting GHG reduction measures in the livestock sector and facilitating Vietnamese livestock companies to participate in the carbon market after adopting carbon emissions mitigation.

Supporting small and medium enterprises—including women-owned businesses—the backbone of Vietnam's economy, IFC partnered with VPBank to set up a $30 million supply-chain finance facility to back local importers and exporters. A $60-million platform, co-funded by IFC and Welcome Financial Group, aims to help financial institutions resolve their non-performing loans, freeing up capital for new lending and allowing defaulted borrowers to rebuild their creditworthiness.

“As Vietnam advances on its path to becoming a high-income economy, the private sector has a critical role to play in driving sustainable economic growth,” Jacobs added. “IFC’s robust program in the last fiscal year is a testament to our commitment to supporting Vietnam in building a more resilient and greener economy that can navigate both global and domestic challenges.”

IFC committed a record $12.2 billion to 123 projects in Asia Pacific in fiscal year 2024, an 11% year-on-year increase. IFC’s projects delivered significant impact across the region, addressing pressing development challenges, including climate change, gender inequality, food insecurity, and financial inclusion while creating jobs and improving services.