Vietnam Finance Ministry Proposes Digital Assets as Loan Collateral for SMEs
Vietnam’s Finance Ministry draft amendment would allow banks to accept digital and virtual assets as collateral, addressing limited SME credit access if parliament approves the measure in October 2026.
Fact Check
Vietnam News, a state-affiliated outlet, directly confirms the Ministry of Finance proposed allowing SMEs to use digital assets, virtual assets, and IP rights as loan collateral in the draft revised Law on Support for SMEs, open for public consultation. Crypto Briefing corroborates with additional procedural details (public feedback window May 25–29, 2026; planned National Assembly submission October 2026).
Summary
Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance has proposed a draft amendment that would allow credit institutions to accept digital and virtual assets as collateral for commercial bank loans, expanding financing options for small and medium-sized enterprises. SMEs account for more than 98% of registered businesses in Vietnam but receive only 19% to 20% of total bank credit, underscoring the funding gap the measure is intended to address. According to the new report, if parliament approves the proposal in October 2026, it would take effect on July 1, 2027.
Terms & Concepts
- Collateral: Assets pledged to secure a loan. If the borrower defaults, the lender may claim the collateral to recover losses.
- Digital assets: Assets that exist in electronic form, which can include tokenized holdings or other digitally represented value.
- Virtual assets: A term often used by regulators for crypto-related holdings or other digitally transferable stores of value.