The investment aims to expand green and inclusive finance in Vietnam.
The investment aims to expand green and inclusive finance in Vietnam.
SIFEM, the Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets, has signed a USD 10 million senior loan to Nam A Bank, a leading Vietnamese joint-stock commercial bank, to support the growth of its green lending portfolio and expand access to finance for women-owned and women-led SMEs.
The agreement was formally signed on 6 August at the Vietnam Green Finance Conference 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City, in the presence of Werner Bardill, Consul General of Switzerland in Ho Chi Minh City, and representatives of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The transaction was executed in early July and will be fully disbursed by the end of August 2026.
SIFEM’s facility is complemented by a concurrent USD 10 million investment from financial inclusion funds managed by responsAbility Investments AG, SIFEM’s portfolio manager, bringing the combined international commitment to USD 20 million. The transaction forms part of a broader push by Nam A Bank to diversify its international funding base, which has brought in close to USD 350 million in international capital since the start of 2026.
SIFEM’s financing is split evenly between two priorities. Half of the proceeds will be on-lent to climate mitigation projects, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and green buildings, building on a green loan book that already stands at approximately USD 587.5 million. The remaining half will support loans to women-owned and women-led SMEs, as well as personal loans to women for housing, education and healthcare, complementing Nam A Bank’s dedicated “Happy Lady” product line and a client base that is already 45% female. The transaction meets the criteria of the 2X Challenge for gender-lens investing.
The investment also builds on an existing SECO-funded IFC technical assistance programme that is helping Nam A Bank strengthen its green supply chain finance capabilities, reinforcing the link between SIFEM’s capital and complementary Swiss-funded advisory support.
The transaction will enable SIFEM’s financial institutions portfolio to re-enter Vietnam, one of SIFEM’s priority countries, following the repayment of an earlier financial institution facility in 2025, and further diversifies SIFEM’s portfolio across South-East Asia.
Speaking at the signing, Nam A Bank Deputy General Director Vo Hoang Hai said the partnership with SIFEM and responsAbility reflects the bank’s transparent governance and ESG standards, and that the new capital will help the bank advance its financial inclusion strategy, making green finance more accessible to SMEs.
SECO will separately publish its own communication on the transaction.
Nam A Bank is a medium-sized private joint-stock commercial bank in Vietnam, ranking among the top 15 of the country’s 31 joint-stock commercial banks by assets. The bank serves corporate, SME and retail clients, with SMEs representing around a third of its loan portfolio, and employs over 5,000 staff, more than half of whom are women.
The position is based in Switzerland, with international travel as required.
The position is based in Switzerland, with international travel as required.
