On 06/03/2024, in Hanoi, representatives from the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) participated in the event "Ring the Bell for Gender Equality" campaign with the theme "Investment for Women: Accelerating Development." The program was co-organized by the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN), the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Embassy of Australia in Vietnam.

This is the 10th year the "Ring the Bell for Gender Equality" event has been held globally, the 6th year Vietnam has participated, and the first time it has been organized at the HNX. The event aims to emphasize the crucial role of the private sector in promoting gender equality and strengthening women's economic empowerment toward sustainable business and social development. In 2024, the United Nations has chosen the theme "Investment for Women: Accelerating Development" for International Women's Day. This year's event calls on the private sector, especially securities companies and listed companies, to further invest in developing women and gender equality in the workplace, community, and market.

The delegates joined the "Ring the Bell for Gender Equality" campaign held at the Hanoi Stock Exchange on March 6. (Ms. Pham Thi Van Khanh - Director of the Corporate Banking Department of BIDV - the 4th from the right)

During the panel discussion, the speakers exchanged and shared their companies' policies and practices on gender equality and the budget for gender-issue-related activities to ensure no one is left behind. BIDV's representative, Ms. Pham Thi Van Khanh - Director of the Corporate Banking Department, shared:

Throughout its development, BIDV has always been concerned with and caring for the comprehensive development of its employees, especially women. BIDV has become one of the leading banks in implementing the National Strategy on Gender Equality for the period 2021-2030. Currently, the percentage of female employees holding leadership and management positions at BIDV is around 55%, and the percentage of female employees with master's degrees is 62%, higher than the minimum industry standard for the banking sector.

Ms. Pham Thi Van Khanh, Director of the Corporate Banking Department of BIDV (sitting in the middle), is participating in a discussion on "Investment for Women: Accelerating Development."

In its business operations, BIDV has identified small and medium enterprises (SMEs) owned by women (WSMEs) as a distinct customer segment that requires special attention and priority development. Therefore, BIDV has proactively implemented comprehensive and diverse programs dedicated to WSME customers. Currently, the number of WSME customers at BIDV accounts for up to 23% of the total corporate customer base.

Over the past period, BIDV has actively cooperated with domestic and international organizations such as the State Bank of Vietnam, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and local authorities to organize seminars, forums, training courses, financial networking programs, and trade promotion activities to support the development of women-owned businesses effectively. BIDV has also collaborated with the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council to implement activities to enhance women entrepreneurs' financial capacity and business skills, thereby increasing their access to finance. In particular, BIDV is also actively working with foreign financial institutions to attract preferential loan sources and aid for women-owned enterprises.

Recently, BIDV has launched the SMEasy digital platform (https://smeasy.bidv.com.vn) to provide maximum support to customers with financial and non-financial solutions. The program is designed based on the One-stop Shop model. It offers a comprehensive range of financial and non-financial solutions to support small and medium enterprises in strengthening their internal capabilities, improving financial health, and enhancing competitiveness. The platform's interface is specially designed for women entrepreneurs with the message "Shine with small and medium enterprises owned by women."

Gender equality is one of the government's essential goals, which requires the joint efforts of ministries, sectors, organizations, and commercial banks. Over the past years, BIDV's accompaniment with women-owned enterprises in general and WSMEs, in particular, has firmly affirmed BIDV's commitment to promoting gender equality and becoming a sustainable development partner for its customers and the entire society.