Overview
- The Finance Ministry released a draft for public comment between May 25 and May 29, 2026 that would allow small and medium enterprises to use digital assets, virtual assets and intellectual property as collateral for bank loans.
- The draft does not force banks to accept all tokens and says only assets lawful under Vietnamese law qualify which leaves valuation, custody, legal recognition and liquidation procedures unresolved.
- If approved the proposal will be submitted to the National Assembly in October 2026 and would take effect on July 1, 2027 under the timeline in the draft.
- SMEs and household businesses make up more than 98% of Vietnamese firms yet held only about 20% of bank credit with outstanding SME loans near VNĐ3.8 quadrillion, so the change targets a persistent financing gap for startups and small firms that lack land or buildings for traditional collateral.
- The proposal forms part of Vietnam’s broader push to build regulated digital-asset infrastructure including exchange pilots and licensing and could unlock real-world capital for businesses if regulators and banks create robust rules to value and manage volatile tokens.