In 2024, Global Finance magazine honored SHB for the second consecutive year as the sole representative in Asia-Pacific, in the category of Best Sustainable Financing Bank.
In addition to policies, management goals, and measurable achievements in sustainable financing, Global Finance highly valued SHB in community responsibility projects. Notably, the program "Supporting COVID-19 Impact Reduction for Women-led Businesses" funded by ADB is highlighted.
By the end of 2022, SHB led among the 5 participating banks in the project with a total non-refundable aid of 1.7 million USD from ADB to directly support customers.
SHB was also awarded the "Best ESG Impact Bank in Vietnam" award by Asiamoney and FinanceAsia magazines for its positive impacts on the environment, society, and governance.
At the Green Economy Forum for a Sustainable Country organized by the Vietnam Environment Association, SHB was ranked among the Top 10 Green and Sustainable Enterprises and Top 10 Banks for Effective Investment in Vietnam's Renewable Energy Projects from 2017 to 2021 by the Vietnam Energy Association…
Promoting green funds, SHB accompanies the country's sustainable development
As a crucial financial channel for the economy, the banking system in general and SHB in particular has always identified its role and responsibility in "greening" funds for sustainable development, actively cooperating with the government to achieve the goal of responding to climate change.
With its position as a top 4 private commercial bank, SHB has always accompanied the country's sustainable development, prioritizing green financing in recent years, focusing on supporting projects in agriculture, forestry, food processing, and industry.
Notably, SHB has invested in renewable energy projects, developing infrastructure, and building a circular economy for key regions across the country.
“Two consecutive years of winning the award for 'Best Sustainable Financing Bank', SHB has confirmed its correct direction in meeting and complying with guidelines on promoting green lending, including:
The IFC and State Bank of Vietnam's guidelines on managing environmental risks in lending activities; based on which, SHB has developed the Regulation on Environmental and Social Risk Management in Lending Activities at the bank,” SHB's representative shared.
SHB applies a set of environmental and social risk assessment tools with strict criteria issued by the State Bank of Vietnam and IFC. Therefore, projects funded must meet strict conditions according to domestic and international standards for environmental protection, energy saving, and resource conservation.
Not only providing funding, SHB also accompanies project owners through technical safety consulting, building capacity… contributing to helping customers meet requirements from international organizations, providing carbon financing programs, training programs, and loan guarantees.
“We set a target for SHB's green lending in the next 5 years to account for 10% of the bank's total outstanding loans. This is a challenging goal, but it confirms SHB's commitment to sustainable development with a long-term, stable strategy, responding to the country's policies, and the Prime Minister's commitment at the COP26 conference to reduce net emissions to "0" by 2050,” SHB's representative emphasized.
Recognizing the importance of sustainable development 10 years ago, SHB has collaborated with international partners such as the World Bank, IFC, ADB… and continues to strengthen cooperation to seek preferential long-term funding sources, as well as technical advice to support customers and SHB in implementing and financing projects effectively.
In addition, SHB promotes funding into projects aligned with the national strategy, such as sustainable agriculture, clean energy, key infrastructure projects, and logistics. Some completed projects have been highly evaluated by experts in green economy, such as the Hạnh Phúc Rice Mill – the largest project in Asia in An Giang province, inaugurated in January 2022.
The mill was completed thanks to a 1,000 billion VND loan from SHB to gradually stabilize food security and increase the value of Vietnam's agricultural exports.
The mill operates 100% based on imported European technology, processing rice according to international standards, meeting strict world standards for food safety, environmental friendliness, and contributing to increasing the value of Vietnamese rice.
The mill's rice drying capacity is 4,800 tons/day, and its rice processing and production capacity is approximately 1,600 tons/day, with a total output of 1,000 tons/day.
Renewable energy projects are always SHB's priority. The Yang Trung Wind Power Plant, one of the largest wind power clusters in Gia Lai province, has a total installed capacity of 145 MW, contributing nearly 1 million MWh to the national power grid each year. With 36 wind turbines, the plant has a total investment of 6,246 billion VND, with a significant portion funded by SHB.
In the Central Highlands, SHB has disbursed over 584 billion VND, equivalent to 70% of the total investment in the construction of the Đăk Sin 1 Hydropower Plant. In the North and North-Central regions, SHB has also invested in the Nậm Lúc Hydropower Plant (Lào Cai) and the Bái Thượng Hydropower Plant (Thanh Hoá).
In addition to agricultural, clean energy, and infrastructure projects, SHB has actively invested in key national projects and logistics projects. In 2013, SHB provided 6,200 billion VND for key national infrastructure projects, such as the three-level overpass at the Huế - Đà Nẵng intersection, the expansion of National Highway 1 through Thừa Thiên Huế and Khánh Hòa, and other projects…
Logistics and seaport transportation have been identified as a key economic sector. Towards achieving the 6 goals in the "Action Plan to Enhance Competitiveness and Develop Logistics Services in Vietnam by 2025" proposed by the government, SHB has provided funding for the Vĩnh Phúc ICD Logistics Center – the starting project of the ASEAN Smart Logistics Network (ASLN), implemented under the initiative of the prime ministers of Vietnam and Singapore.
The project has a scale of 83 ha, with a total investment of over 200 million USD, and a designed capacity of approximately 530,000 TEU/year.
