The Announcement of Sustainable Enterprises in Vietnam in 2023, a prestigious event held on December 13, 2023, in Hanoi, organized by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD-VCCI), rewarded BIDV for the fifth time as one of the Top Sustainable Corporates in the trade and service sector.

The award was presented to the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) as part of the "Announcement of Sustainable Corporates in Vietnam 2023 - CSI 2023". This recognition is a testament to BIDV's unique and impactful efforts in sustainable development activities, particularly in green credit and green banking, to develop a green economy.

Recognizing the role and significance of green growth and green economy, BIDV has set the goal of "creating sustainable value" since developing its business strategy for 2021-2025 with a vision towards 2030 — a cross-cutting goal in implementing banking activities. BIDV identifies green credit, green financing, and building a green bank as among the priority contents of its development strategy.

BIDV has committed to sustainable development and taken concrete steps to ensure its operations align with this vision. It has researched and developed a comprehensive green finance framework across all its operational areas. This framework includes the Environmental and Social Risk Management Framework (ESMS) applied to loans from international sources, the Sustainable Loan Framework, and the Green Bond Framework. These frameworks form the bedrock of BIDV's sustainable credit, capital mobilization, and risk management in its sustainable financial activities at the Bank.

With a commitment to accompanying businesses in their sustainable development strategy, BIDV has implemented many preferential green credit programs from commercial capital sources and entrusted capital, especially from the issuance of green bonds for areas such as Renewable energy, clean energy, manufacturing, and low-carbon consumption industries, and climate change adaptation. At the same time, BIDV has defined project selection criteria, credit management, and monitoring to create and maintain a quality green credit portfolio for the bank.

As of the end of Q3/2023, BIDV has financed over 1,500 customers with 1,900 green credit projects/solutions. The total outstanding loan amount reached approximately 71,000 billion VND, accounting for about 5% of BIDV's total outstanding loans, up about 11% compared to 2022, of which clean energy and renewable energy led with an exceptional loan of 57,000 billion VND, accounting for 86% of the total green loan portfolio with 1,600 projects of 1,300 customers; followed by the areas of natural environmental protection, ecological environment restoration and disaster prevention with an outstanding loan of 7,100 billion VND, accounting for about 11%. In October 2023, BIDV launched a green textile and garment credit package worth 4,200 billion VND with attractive interest rates, collateral, and exchange rate policies to support textile and garment enterprises in green transformation towards sustainable development.

In addition to providing green credit from commercial capital sources, BIDV has also received the trust of many international financial institutions such as the World Bank, AFD, and EIB to provide entrusted capital for green projects through BIDV; the total value exceeds 490 million USD. Notably, the World Bank's capital is 202 million USD for the Renewable Energy Project; the AFD's is 100 million USD for the SUNREF Green Credit Limit; the EIB's is 30 million USD for environmental protection projects, etc. Currently, 24 projects are participating in these programs, with an outstanding loan of approximately 3,800 billion VND.

BIDV is the first commercial bank in Vietnam to issue green bonds worth over 2,000 billion VND based on the ICMA Green Bond Principles. The objective is to finance green, energy-efficient, emission-reducing, and environmentally friendly projects in line with BIDV's Green Bond Framework. This further consolidates BIDV's pioneering and leading position in the green and sustainable development activities market.

Regarding the Sustainable Enterprise Award: To receive this award, participating enterprises must fully meet the rigorous screening criteria of the Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI), covering various aspects: economic efficiency, corporate governance, environment, and labor & society. Of the 130 indicators in the 2023 CSI, 63% are related to legal compliance, while 37% are related to sustainable business initiatives. The 2023 program has introduced innovations such as a fundamental revision of the CSI assessment framework, a more scientific, transparent, and rigorous evaluation process, and the expanded participation of media representatives in the CSI assessment council.

Ms. Pham Thi Van Khanh, Director of the Corporate Banking Department, representing BIDV, who received the award.