The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, but indicated it was on the verge of pausing further increases in borrowing costs after the recent collapse of two U.S. banks. Fed Chair Jerome Powell sought to reassure investors about the soundness of the banking system, saying that the management of Silicon Valley Bank "failed badly," but that the bank's collapse did not indicate wider weaknesses in the banking system. "These are not weaknesses that are running broadly through the banking system," he said, adding that the takeover of Credit Suisse seemed to have been a positive outcome. The Federal Open Market Committee policy statement also said the U.S. banking system is "sound and resilient." Even so, Wall Street ended sharply lower after Powell told a news conference that officials were still intent on fighting inflation while also eying the extent to which recent bank failures had cooled demand and slowed lending. The … [Read more...] about U.S. Fed delivers small rate hike amid global banking turmoil
Global multilateral economic system and emerging scenario
Vietnam must revisit policies to develop implementation of global minimum tax
In December, the EU officially approved a directive for companies to pay a minimum tax rate of 15 per cent from 2024. Our neighbouring markets such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong are heading towards the official application of GMT policy from 2024 or 2025. Thomas McClelland - Country tax leader Deloitte Vietnam Countries with foreign investment in Vietnam, like South Korea and Japan, will implement new tax policies or announce a draft tax reform, moving towards the application of the GMT from the fiscal year 2024. The impact of the policy on Vietnam is clear and urgent, and requires the authorities to take timely action before it is too late. Firstly, to protect tax collection, Vietnam could consider the immediate solution of implementing a qualified domestic minimum top-up tax to gain the right to collect the top-up tax rather than the tax going to another country. This mechanism can simply be understood as a domestic mechanism in which the calculation of … [Read more...] about Vietnam must revisit policies to develop implementation of global minimum tax
New global tax to diminish Vietnam’s FDI attractiveness
The 15% tax on profits, which was approved by 136 countries in 2021, is considered the deepest overhaul of cross-border tax rules in decades. The purpose of the overhaul is to ensure that tech giants such as Apple and Google will not have an unfair advantage by booking their profits in low-tax countries such as Ireland. The tax applies to multinationals with total revenues of at least EUR750 million ($819 million) in two of the preceding four years. This means that a company that invests in a foreign country will have be taxed by that country by at least 15%. Vietnam, along with the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and the E.U. plan to start collecting the tax next year. It is estimated that 100 multinationals will be affected by the tax, which is expected to yield an extra $220 billions in tax income globally. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, deputy director of publicity at Canon Vietnam, said that tax incentive is one of the key factors for the company to maintain its large-scale … [Read more...] about New global tax to diminish Vietnam’s FDI attractiveness
Vietnam ready upgrade US ties on 10th anniversary of comprehensive partnership
The US was the largest export market to Vietnam in 2022 with Vietnamese exports to the former reaching US$100 billion. Vietnam is willing and ready to foster bilateral relations with the US, Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ deputy spokesperson Dang Thu Hang said at a press conference in Hanoi on March 23. Prime Minister meets US corporate executives on March 22 during a meeting with the US-ASEAN Business Council. Photo: VGP "The Vietnamese Government expects to foster our relations with President Joe Biden's administration," Hang replied to a reporter's question about Vietnam's readiness to upgrade the Comprehensive Partnership to a Strategic Partnership with the United States. "We hope the Vietnam-US relations will be strengthened in-depth, sustainability and efficiency for regional and international peace and cooperation," she said. Hang said that the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership has grown stronger in the face of bilateral, regional, and … [Read more...] about Vietnam ready upgrade US ties on 10th anniversary of comprehensive partnership
High pedestal to reach for 2023’s growth ambitions
High pedestal to reach for 2023’s growth ambitions Vietnam’s economic growth is projected to ease to 6.3 per cent in 2023 from a robust 8.02 per cent last year, as services growth moderates and higher prices and interest rates weigh on households and investors, according to the World Bank’s latest Taking Stock report released last week. Growth is expected to pick up to 6.5 per cent in 2024 as the economies of Vietnam’s main export markets gain strength, the report said. The outlook for Vietnam reflects heightened uncertainty in the global economy. Downside risks include weaker-than-expected growth in Vietnam’s major export markets, which include the United States, China, and the Eurozone, tightening financial conditions, higher domestic inflation, weaknesses in the balance sheets of corporate, banking and household sectors, and financial sector vulnerabilities. The Vietnamese government has set a target that GDP will increase 5.6 per cent in Q1, 6.7 per cent in Q2, 6.5 per … [Read more...] about High pedestal to reach for 2023’s growth ambitions
Vietnam showing better-than-average growth: Indian expert
Vietnam is said to have been avoiding the usual recessionary trends across the Asian markets and is showing better-than-average growth. (Photo: VNA) New Delhi (VNA) – An Indian expert has highly valued Vietnam’s post-pandemic recovery in an article recently published on Moderndiplomacy.eu. In the writing, titled “Vietnam’s macroeconomic policy and post COVID recovery”, Prof. Pankaj Jha, Director of the Centre for Security studies at India’s Jindal School of International Affairs, cited the latest IMF reports as saying that Vietnam's real gross domestic product ( GDP ) in 2023 is estimated at 6.2%, and this clearly indicates Vietnam has been avoiding the usual recessionary trends across the Asian markets and is showing better-than-average growth. He noted with an inflation rate of less than 4%, it clearly shows that Vietnam is likely to emerge as a promising economy in Asia. If one looks into the core fundamentals of Vietnam following the COVID-19 pandemic, it … [Read more...] about Vietnam showing better-than-average growth: Indian expert
Vietnam, U.S. cultivate sci-tech, innovation cooperation
Duy said the Vietnamese Party and State consider sci-tech and innovation one of strategic breakthroughs and a driving force of growth pace and quality, turning Vietnam into a modern industrialized nation by 2030 and a high-income and developed country by 2045. In May and June last year, the Vietnamese Government and National Assembly passed a strategy on science, technology and innovation development till 2030 and the Law on amendments and supplements to several articles of the Intellectual Property Law. These documents will open up increasingly favorable policy and legal corridors to promote the strong development of innovation ecosystem and intellectual property ownership in Vietnam, contributing to creating a healthy business environment and delivery of commitments in trade agreements and international conventions to which Vietnam is a member, he said. He added that the gap in science and technology between Vietnam and other countries in the region has significantly narrowed as … [Read more...] about Vietnam, U.S. cultivate sci-tech, innovation cooperation
Deputy PM urges SMEs to make innovations
Workers in Dai Dung Mechanical Electrical JSC's factory in HCM City. The Government would improve policies and raise solutions to support enterprises. — VNA/VNS Photo Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has called on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to modernise their production and business models and expedite restructuring efforts following the emerging trends of the green economy, digital economy, and circular economy. Khai emphasised during his address at the Viet Nam Small and Medium Enterprises (VINASME) event on Thursday that the primary objective should be to drive innovation and boost brand competitiveness. The conference was attended by almost 400 representatives from the association's over 64,000 members nationwide. Highlighting the important role of enterprises in promoting economic prosperity and development, Khai said that the business community in Viet Nam developed strongly in recent years, with nearly 900,000 firms, over 25,000 cooperatives and five … [Read more...] about Deputy PM urges SMEs to make innovations
Agro-forestry-fishery products record export surplus of 6.28 billion USD in seven months
Shrimp products export value over 2 billion USD in seven months. (Photo: Danh Lam/VNA) According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total export turnover of agro-forestry-fishery products in the first seven months of 2022 reached 32.3 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 12.2 percent. The import turnover is estimated at over 26 billion USD. Therefore, the export surplus of these products in January-July was 6.3 billion USD, up nearly two times over the same period last year. The United States continued to be the largest importer of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery products for the seven-month period, accounting for 26.8 percent to reach almost 8.7 billion USD. China came second with a total export value of over 5.7 billion USD, accounting for 17.8 percent of the market share. Japan came third with over 2.3 billion USD, accounting for 7.2 percent, followed by the Republic of Korea with over 1.5 billion USD, accounting for 4.7 percent. By region, … [Read more...] about Agro-forestry-fishery products record export surplus of 6.28 billion USD in seven months
Vietnamese Prime Minister receives delegation of the US-ASEAN Business Council
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) delegation at the Government Headquarters on March 22. The attendees were leaders of the Government Office and the ministries of Planning and Investment, Industry and Trade, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Transport, Information and Communication, Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, Culture - Sports and Tourism. Also in attendance were the State Bank of Vietnam, the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council President and CEO Ted Osius, the U.S. Ambassador in Vietnam Marc E. Knapper. The leaders of more than 50 leading enterprises in the U.S. and the world were there too, including AES, Netflix, Boeing, Apple, Coca-Cola, Pfizer, Abbott, Visa, Citibank, Meta, Ford, and FedEx Express. The Prime Minister welcomed the USABC and the U.S. business delegation to Vietnam, and the delegation members joined a frank, sincere and effective working session with Vietnamese agencies. This is a continuation of previous … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Prime Minister receives delegation of the US-ASEAN Business Council