AsemconnectVietnam - Vietnamese Government has just issued Decree No. 69/2025/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 01/2014/ND-CP dated January 3, 2014 on foreign investors purchasing shares of Vietnamese credit institutions.

According to that, the purchase methods, ownership limits, and investor obligations were amended and supplemented.
Accordingly, the total foreign ownership in Vietnamese commercial banks is capped at 30%, with some exceptions, while that in non-bank credit institutions is no more than 50%.
In special cases involving weak or troubled financial institutions, the Prime Minister will decide on ownership percentage of a foreign organisation or a strategic foreign investor. The new decree also allows foreign ownership in commercial banks undergoing mandatory transfers to exceed 30% but not surpass 49% of charter capital, provided the bank is not majority state-owned.
If foreign investors surpass the regulated thresholds, they must reduce their ownership percentage within six months to comply with the limits.
When the total foreign ownership in a credit institution exceeds the legal threshold, foreign investors cannot purchase additional shares until total foreign ownership falls below the prescribed limits. The decree takes effect on May 19, 2025.
CK
Source: VITIC/Vietnamplus.vn