Beyond providing financing, the provincial banking sector is gradually reshaping capital flows, prioritising high-tech agriculture, trade and services, alongside sectors serving as key drivers of long-term growth.

Credit capital helping numerous enterprises expand their production and business activities.

Dak Lak’s credit market posted strong performance by the end of May 2026. Total outstanding credit in the province was estimated at more than 278.3 trillion VND, up 6.8% compared with end-2025, outpacing the regional average. Outstanding loans in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector reached nearly 70.2 trillion VND, marking a 6.8% increase against late 2025. Credit for trade along with services continued to account for a large share, with outstanding loans exceeding 177.4 trillion VND, up 6.4% from the end of 2025.

A notable aspect of this shift is that medium- and long-term outstanding loans increased by as much as 11.8% compared to the end of 2025, signalling growing confidence among credit institutions in financing investment projects, expansion of raw material areas, together with deep processing activities.

Outstanding loans under Government-directed credit programmes have also been expanded. For example, the credit programme for the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector reached 15.21 trillion VND, surging 90.3%. The programme for social housing, workers' housing, together with apartment renovation and reconstruction projects reached 150 billion VND, an increase of 105.5%.

Alongside commercial lending, policy credit in Dak Lak continues to serve as a key pillar of social welfare, helping households, particularly those in remote areas, access preferential loans to develop their livelihoods as well as reduce reliance on illegal lending.

Continuing to unlock capital flows

Despite robust credit growth, a number of bottlenecks remain before capital flows can truly become a sustainable growth driver.

According to Mr. Vo Tien Nam, Deputy Director of Agribank Dak Lak Branch, the biggest challenge currently lies in the legal status of assets on agricultural land, particularly high-tech agricultural facilities. Moreover, lending models based on linkages between enterprises, cooperatives and farmers, despite their potential, continue to face difficulties due to weak product off-take commitments combined with limited governance transparency among certain entities.

The banking sector accelerating digitalisation, integrating VNeID data and chip-based citizen identity cards to simplify procedures.

Dak Lak's banking sector has been rolling out a range of measures, including accelerating digitalisation and streamlining procedures. In the field of green credit coupled with the circular economy, although the number of eligible customers remains limited, banks have begun financing leading enterprises within key agricultural supply chains such as coffee, durian and pepper.

Numerous provincial commercial banks have also expanded value chain financing, adopting lending models based on cash flows along with production plans rather than relying entirely on collateral. This has enabled more enterprises and cooperatives to access financing more easily.

However, for credit to remain an effective growth driver, Mr. Nam recommended that local authorities accelerate development of planting area codes alongside green certifications, treating them as "passports" for local agricultural products to reach international markets. He also called for policies to support agricultural insurance in order to reduce natural disaster risks and encourage banks to expand rural lending.

Translated by KHUONG THAO