HANOI, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Loans at preferential interest rates of 1.2-4.4 percent per year have been offered to Vietnam's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to start a business or expand production scale, Vietnam News reported Thursday.
The loans have been provided by Vietnam's Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise Development Fund.
SMEs can enjoy preferential lending interest rates from 1.2 percent per year for short-term working capital loans and 4.4 percent per year for medium- and long-term loans.
The maximum loan period is seven years while the interest grace period is two years, with a maximum loan amount of 150 billion Vietnamese dong (6 million U.S. dollars) and a minimum loan amount of 300 million dong (12,000 dollars).
SMEs account for 97 percent of enterprises in Vietnam, creating about 36 percent of employment at businesses, according to the General Statistics Office. ■
