Workers at a small-sized enterprise in Cà Mau Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Only 8.8 per cent of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Việt Nam have access to loans, highlighting a persistent financing gap that is limiting their ability to sustain operations and expand, according to FiinGroup.

The rate fell 0.5 percentage point from 2025 and was far below the 47.1 per cent recorded among large enterprises, FiinGroup said in its report released.

SMEs account for about 94 per cent of businesses nationwide but generate less than 20 per cent of total revenue and around 8 per cent of import-export turnover, the report said.

Of the roughly 914,000 SMEs in Việt Nam, only about 80,000 currently have outstanding loans, it said.

The sector employs about 6.6 million people, or 38.6 per cent of the country's workforce. Only about 36,000 SMEs are exporters, accounting for 6.7 per cent of total export turnover, while around 83,000 are importers, contributing 9 per cent of total import turnover, according to FiinGroup.

Nearly 43,000 enterprises expanded their scale in 2026, with the share of micro-enterprises moving into the small- or medium-sized category rising to 9 per cent from 7.5 per cent in 2025, FiinGroup said.

However, the transition from SMEs to large enterprises remained limited, ranging between 0.7 per cent and 0.9 per cent in recent years. About 7,200 enterprises, or 0.9 per cent, moved into the large-enterprise category in 2026, it said.

At the same time, business closures increased across all three enterprise groups in 2025. Closure rates stood at 22.7 per cent for micro-enterprises, 12.7 per cent for SMEs and 4.9 per cent for large enterprises. 

The report also found a link between access to credit and business health, suggesting that borrowed capital plays a key role in helping enterprises sustain operations and extend their lifespan.

Nearly 90 per cent of SMEs have no recorded outstanding loans. Notably, banks and other financial institutions tend to select established customers. Up to 85 per cent of borrowing SMEs have operated for at least five years.— BIZHUB/VNS