Eligible businesses can borrow in đồng for up to six months with preferential rates available on loans of up to VNĐ5 billion per customer. — Photo courtesy of the bank

HCM CITY — HDBank has launched a VNĐ2 trillion (US$77.2 million) credit programme for women-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises with interest rates starting at 7.8 per cent to meet their working capital needs.

Eligible businesses can borrow in đồng for up to six months with preferential rates available on loans of up to VNĐ5 billion per customer.

The interest rates are 7.8 per cent for loans of up to three months and 8.3 per cent for those of more than three months and up to six months.

The programme will run until March 31, 2027, or until the allocated funds are exhausted.

Eligible borrowers must meet at least one of three criteria: women hold at least 51 per cent of the business’s charter capital, they hold at least 20 per cent and the business meets specified requirements for management roles and female representation on its board of directors, or the business is owned, operated, and managed by one or more women.

The loans will cover short-term working capital needs for production and business activities.

The Việt Nam Women’s Union said women-owned businesses accounted for 20-24 per cent of the country’s enterprises as of August 2026.

Expanding access to preferential credit could help women entrepreneurs finance their operations, sustain their businesses, and pursue new opportunities. — VNS