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MB Chairman Luu Trung Thai said at the conference on two-digit growth contributed by enterprises and the government’s appreciation to enterprises that MB has carefully studied the target of two-digit economic growth. In the short term, achieving two-digit growth is challenging, but maintaining it in the long term is even harder. Therefore, sustainable macroeconomic stabilization is essential, with the core being to maintain a low interest rate level. If the cost of finance cannot be kept low, enterprises will lack motivation to expand investment. In this ecosystem, the banking sector plays a key role in ensuring capital for the normal production and business activities of private sector enterprises. To realize the goal of reducing lending rates and easing financial burdens on enterprises, three key factors must be tightly controlled. First, banks’ operating costs. Currently, the CIR for well-managed banks is around 25%, while some units reach 50%. This provides room to optimize operations. Second, the cost of funds inputs, specifically savings deposit rates. This factor depends directly on liquidity and the velocity of capital in the economy. When funds circulate smoothly, input costs fall. Third, controlling the cost of risk provisions for bad debts. Provisions for bad debt currently account for about 18% to 20% of banks’ cost structure. In well-governed countries, they focus on strengthening risk management and borrowers’ financial discipline. If the balance of rights and responsibilities between borrowers and lenders is ensured, risk costs will fall, enabling lending rates to drop further. Regarding the long-term growth model for the country, he argues that it is necessary to identify key industries where Vietnam has real competitive advantages on the international stage. National competitiveness must start with selecting the right industries to develop. First, we must effectively exploit available resources as an initial advantage. Next, we should emphasize science and technology and innovation, but it is necessary to identify core technologies and core industries that Vietnam should prioritize. The government should promulgate special mechanisms to incentivize long-term investment by enterprises, forming core capabilities for each business and thereby raising the national economy’s strength.
Premium gym chains are entering a “golden era” that is ending or already in decline, as rising operating costs collide with shifting consumer preferences toward more flexible, community-based ways to exercise. Long-term memberships are shrinking, margins are pressured by higher rents and facility expenses, and competition from smaller, more personalized…
