On December 20, 2017, GGGI together with the SME Development Fund of Vietnam (SMEDF), a public fund of $88m supporting Vietnamese SMEs, co-organized a consultation workshop on the draft Green Credit Handbook which details criteria for prioritizing green, innovative and women-led business proposals in accessing finance at SMEDF. GGGI also presented its international best practice review for green criteria for SMEs in SMEDF’s three priority sectors: agriculture, manufacturing and waste management.

Some examples were shared at the workshop by representatives from both public and private initiatives such as the Green Fund Scheme of the Netherlands and PUMA. The workshop was well attended with over 80 representatives from relevant government line ministries, local authorities, international partners and the private sector. The final Handbook is expected to be released in mid-2018.