Number of ATM transactions soars

HCM City (VNA) - ATM transactions greatly increased in 2008,
according to banking experts.

Foreign ATM holders' transactions were 640 million USD at the Bank for Foreign
Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank)'s ATMs last year, according to Nguyen Thi Thanh
Hang, director of Vietcombank's card centre.

Hang said the amount increased 40 percent compared with 2007.

Ly Thi Ngoc, director of East Asia Bank's card centre, said the bank's universal
card holders' transactions amounted to 172 billion VND (9.8 million USD).

These transactions will pay for purchases over the internet or Point of Sale
(POS) channels, up 100 percent compared with last year.

Transactions used with the East Asia Bank ATM card reached 14,000 billion VND
(801 million USD), up 30 percent, she said.

According to the year-end report of the State Bank of Vietnam 's Ho Chi Minh
City Branch, the total number of ATM cards issued last year was 1.1 million,
equal to the number in 2007.

The total value of ATM card transactions reached 69,000 billion VND (4 billion
USD), up 32 percent compared with 2007, the report said.

The number of cards now amounts to more than 4.2 million and the number of ATM
machines is 2,257, according to the report.

More than 146,000 civil servants in the city received salaries through ATMs in
2008, accounting for 92.9 percent of government employees.-Enditem


08
Market mixed, but volume higher

Hanoi (VNA) - VN-Index rose a modest 0.69 percent on Jan. 16 to close the week at
306,12, on mixed trading but a slightly more robust volume of 7.35 million
shares, up over 28 percent from Jan. 15.

The value of trades on the day reached 198.81 billion VND (11.4 million USD).

While blue chips Phu My Fertilisers (DPM), Vinamilk (VNM) and commercial baker
Kinh Do Corporation (KDC) all saw gains on the day, other major shares like
Saigon Securities Inc (SSI), Sacombank (STB) and Tran Tao Industrial Park (ITA)
remained flat.

Foreign investor interest caused property developer Hoa Sen Group (HSG) to emerge
as the day's leader in volume, with 518,980 shares traded, followed by STB at
503,190 shares.

Foreign investors picked up their purchasing activity overall, becoming net
buyers of about 400,000 shares, with buys concentrated in HSG, DPM and Pha Lai
Thermal Power (PPC).

In Hanoi , the HASTC-Index closed off 0.26 percent to end the week at 102.84,
on a volume for the day of just 2.7 million shares, worth 58 billion VND (3.3
million USD).

Most active share Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) saw just 351,400 shares traded,
while runner-up Vinashin Petroleum Investment and Transport (VSP) saw 187,500
shares change hands.-Enditem