Vietnam Determined to Advance Stock Market from Frontier to Emerging Status by 2025

In his closing address at the 2024 Conference on Stock Market Development, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh underscored his personal and the Government’s profound commitment to the financial markets, with a particular emphasis on the stock market.

He shared, “It is likely that I engage in discussions about the stock market and collaborate with market leaders on a weekly basis. I maintain a close watch on the stock market, making it a point to catch the market news at 12:40 daily. This practice allows me to stay informed about the day’s market performance and enables a prompt policy response. In the event that I am unable to monitor it, I experience a sense of unease.”

“When there are any fluctuations, we always put ourselves in the position of investors and issuers with a win-win spirit, harmonious benefits and shared risks for all parties to help develop Vietnam's rapid, sustainable and healthy economy as desired by the Party and the State of Vietnam. We also always think that the Government must protect legal and legitimate rights and interests of investors and all stakeholders in the stock market," added the Prime Minister.

He analyzed the position, role and importance of Vietnam's stock market. "In a nutshell, economic development will be impossible without the stock market. Developing the stock market is an objective requirement," he emphasized.

Regarding the direction of stock market development, he underlined six points: First, Vietnam will continue to maintain independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, political stability, and social order and safety.

Second, policies must be consistent, policy responses must be timely, and policies must be appropriate and realistic.

Third, state administration must be open, transparent and consistent with market rules.

Fourth, the Government and competent authorities always protect legal and legitimate rights and interests of relevant entities; always share difficulties and put themselves in the position of investors and issuers to make policies and build a government that truly enables development.

Fifth, the Government is determined to upgrade the market, focusing on development towards digital economy, green economy, circular economy, sharing economy, knowledge economy, and fast and sustainable development.

Sixth, the State, investors and society will have close contact to perform capital supply functions and strongly develop stock market infrastructure and ecosystem.

Analyzing further some investors' concerns, Prime Minister Chinh stated that, in 2023, local electricity shortages occurred due to poor management. "This year, we are very determined to avoid electricity shortages and investors can rest assured about this issue," he affirmed.

Prime Minister Chinh clearly stated the main tasks and solutions in the coming time.

For authorities, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC) will coordinate with the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and relevant ministries and agencies to focus on building and immediately implementing specific action programs to implement the Stock Market Development Strategy to 2030.

The Ministry of Finance needs to urgently review and amend current inadequate regulations, especially those relating to transparency of corporate information, rights and responsibilities of managerial entities and market participants such as authorities, businesses, securities companies and investors. Decree 155 should be amended.

The ministry will continue to focus on improving the effect of market supervision and inspection to prevent violations on the stock market and strictly handle violation cases in accordance with the law to make sure that the stock market develops sustainably and operates justly, publicly and transparently.

MoF will urgently adopt necessary measures to upgrade Vietnam's stock market from a frontier market to an emerging market, especially focusing on resolving difficulties and obstacles to meet upgrading criteria and achieve concrete desired outcomes.

The province assigned the MoF, the SSC, the SBV and the MPI to urgently coordinate, quickly handle and soon have results of handling emerging matters within their jurisdiction to meet upgrading criteria (the report on these results must be submitted before June 30, 2024).

The MoF directed the SSC to urgently review and propose necessary amendments and supplements to legal documents to handle remaining technical issues, improve the transparency of the stock market, immediately remove barriers to facilitate foreign investors to access the market.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment will urgently review and fully announce the caps on foreign ownership in conditional industries or access restrictions on foreign investors; and regularly update these contents in both Vietnamese and English languages on its website.

The State Bank of Vietnam will urgently consider and review to simplify application procedures and reduce the process of opening indirect investment capital accounts for foreign investors; research market-based clearing tools; continue to implement solutions and direct commercial banks to reduce costs to lower lending interest rates.

The Prime Minister stated that, in 2024, Vietnam will continue to keep macroeconomic stability, ensure major balances, and maintain political and social stability to assure investors. "We are determined to upgrade Vietnam's stock market from frontier to emerging in 2025," he emphasized.

He assigned the Government Office and the Ministry of Finance to synthesize, classify recommendations from delegates and handle them within their jurisdiction and send contents beyond their jurisdiction to competent authorities for consideration and decision.

Source: Vietnam Business Forum