Thuy Trieu and Thao Nguyen
Nguyen Hoang Minh, deputy director of the central bank’s HCMC branch, said that total gold balance at 18 banks in the city has increased slightly against late June, when banks were forced to pay all gold deposits to customers. However, Minh did not reveal the exact number of the gold balance.
HCMC accounts for nearly 30% of total outstanding mobilization and loan of the country. Banks taking the lead for gold mobilization were mostly based in HCMC such as ACB, Sacombank and Eximbank.
However, a source told the Daily that the total gold volume under local banks’ custody is around 1.2 million taels, or over 45 tons of gold. The figure is almost unchanged compared to early this year.
The central bank has granted gold custody service licenses to 12 banks, including five State-run banks Vietcombank, Vietinbank, BIDV, Agribank and MHB and seven commercial banks ABBank, Viet Capital Bank, Bao Viet, Tien Phong, LienVietPostBank, ACB and Military Bank. Asides from ABBank and ACB, the remaining banks have branches in Hanoi City.
Meanwhile, banks ineligible for the service just keep gold accounts deposited earlier. They are not allowed to serve new gold depositors.
Nguyen Thanh Toai, deputy director of ACB, one of banks with the biggest gold deposit and having obtained a gold custody service license, said that the number of service users has not changed strongly compared to before June.
The bank is giving custody service for customers who deposited gold earlier while the number of new gold depositors is modest. Those deposited big gold volumes at the bank now continue using custody service as they have been familiar with keeping gold at banks, Toai said.
According to a joint-stock bank that has yet to win a gold custody service license, customers who deposited small gold volumes earlier have sold gold to banks or withdrawn it. Meanwhile, those with big gold deposits still use custody service of the bank.
Having inspected gold lending and mobilization activities as of June 30, a leader of the central bank said that the gold volume banks have bought to pay customers are still left at banks. Meanwhile, the gold volume launched onto the market after gold bar auctions organized by the central bank is still kept by people.
The total gold outstanding loan at banks is around 180,000 taels, a sharp decline compared to early this year’s figure of over 300,00 gold taels. Banks are still negotiating with customers to turn the credits into dong or help them buy gold to pay debts, the leader said.
As of Wednesday, the central bank had organized 61 gold auctions, launching nearly 1.6 million gold taels onto the market. Credit institutions and gold trading firms have bought nearly 60 tons of gold, including 30 tons to pay for depositors and 30 tons to sell to gold buyers.
Đăng ký: VietNam News