State bank: credit up 9.09% from late last year

Lending for agriculture and rural development was estimated at nearly VND900 trillion as of August, up 6.64% from late 2015, accounting for nearly 18% of the total outstanding loans of the economy.

As of August 15, four State-owned commercial banks signed credit contracts worth VND6.57 trillion to build 590 new fishing boats and upgrade 73 others.

Fishermen in the provinces of Nghe An, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Tien Giang, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Ngai, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Quang Nam and Ninh Thuan began paying debts for shipbuilding.

As of the end of the second quarter this year, 540 dialogues were held in all 63 cities and provinces nationwide between banks and businesses to seek ways clearing difficulties in debt payment facing more than 50,000 firms and 120,000 other debtors, including cooperatives and household businesses.

New loans committed by banks in the period totalled more than VND800 trillion to businesses, marking a four-fold increase from the late 2014, with interests ranging from 6%-9% per annum for short-term loans and 9%-11% per year for long-term ones.

Fishermen affected by unusual fish deaths in the central coastal provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue are enabled to enjoy interest waive and reduction.

As of August 15, banks offered new loans worth nearly VND300 billion to more than 3,700 affected fishermen.