Vietnam drafts plan to let SMEs pledge digital assets and IP as loan collateral, prompting valuation concerns

Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance has proposed allowing small and medium-sized enterprises to use digital assets, virtual assets and intellectual property as collateral for bank loans, a measure included in a draft amendment to the Law on Support for SMEs that is currently open for public consultation ^{[1] [2]}.

The proposal aims to widen credit access for private companies and technology startups by expanding the range of acceptable collateral beyond traditional assets ^{[1] [3]}.

Commentary accompanying coverage of the proposal highlights that while the change could spur SME financing innovation, it also raises operational issues for banks, including how to value and manage the volatility of digital assets used as collateral ^{[4] [1]}.

The draft amendment is currently under public consultation; no implementation timeline or final text has been published yet ^[1].