Central bank forecast to continue bill issuance amid abundant liquidity

Hanoi - The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) will continue to issue new bills to withdraw cash from the banking system as liquidity is abundant and interbank interest rates remain low, analysts forecast.

The SBV last month issued more than 110 trillion VND of 28-day bills, and the bills will mature this month. As a result, a corresponding amount of cash will be pumped back into the banking system if the SBV does not issue new bills. However, given that interbank interest rates are still low, KB Vietnam Securities Joint Stock Company (KBSV)’s analysts believe the SBV will continue to issue new bills to replace those that are maturing.

They explained that the move will be made as the overnight interbank interest rate returns to very low levels while the interbank foreign exchange rate and the interest rate gap between US dollar-denominated deposits and Vietnamese dong-denominated deposits remain high. This will stimulate dollar speculation and put pressure on the foreign exchange rate.

KBSV’s analysts do not rule out the possibility that the SBV might even increase the size and term of bills to be issued in the coming time.

In fact, in recent sessions, the SBV has moved to increase cash withdrawal through bill issuance. In the first nine trading sessions in early October, the SBV issued bills worth less than 10 trillion VND each, but from October 12 to October 16, the SBV increased it to 20 trillion VND each. Even on October 17, the bill value reached 17.95 trillion VND and 12.05 trillion VND the following day.

In the latest five trading sessions, the SBV withdrew 90 trillion VND, marking the strongest net withdrawal series since the bill issuance channel resumed operations on September 21. At the same time, the winning interest rate also remained at a high level of 0.9-1 per cent, indicating a more aggressive stance from the SBV in withdrawing cash.

At the meeting conference between the prime minister and foreign investors on October 17, Pham Thanh Ha, Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), gave a warm welcome to foreign investors as they stood ready to address the challenges faced by underperforming Vietnamese banks.