Turning Data into “Collateral” for Green Finance

Businesses implementing environmental projects tend to receive low-interest green financing

How does digital transformation help remove financial bottlenecks for green growth?

Digital transformation delivers real growth only when it is tied to green finance. If the challenges of green credit and green capital are not addressed, digital transformation efforts will struggle to produce meaningful results. The current bottleneck is not a lack of capital, but limited access to it. Capital is effectively “at the doorstep,” yet businesses cannot enter because they lack the data to prove eligibility.

All green standards follow a clear principle: they must be measurable, recordable, and quantifiable. Without data, access to green finance is not possible. For that reason, digital transformation is not just a supporting tool, but the foundation for turning data into a basis for decision making and unlocking capital flows.

How is the current green finance ecosystem structured, and where do Vietnamese enterprises stand within it?

This ecosystem can be viewed as a tightly connected, layered structure. At the domestic level, regulations define what qualifies as green projects and green spending, providing a foundation that remains largely local in nature. As companies move into global trade, technical standards and barriers such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism begin to have strong influence.

The European Union’s carbon border adjustment mechanism will officially take effect in 2026, requiring companies to purchase carbon certificates that match their emissions, with penalties of up to €100 per ton of CO2 for noncompliance. This shows that competition is no longer based only on price or quality, but is shifting toward emissions data.

At a deeper level, global green finance instruments such as carbon markets are what create value. According to the World Bank’s “State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2025” report, global carbon pricing revenues exceeded US$100 billion in 2024 and covered around 28% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This shows that it is no longer just a trend but has become an important financial component of the global economy.

However, Vietnam currently has very few products that meet international standards to participate in this market, meaning it has not yet fully entered the global green finance arena.

Within that structure, why does data become the key factor determining access to green resources?

From domestic standards to global trade, all requirements depend on data. Companies must track the entire process, from input materials to production and export. In the context of mechanisms such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, reporting is no longer procedural but must quantify emissions down to each unit of product.

In particular, with instruments such as carbon credits, all value is based on data. This forms a completely new value system, where data not only supports management but directly creates economic value. In other words, data is no longer just information, it has become an asset.

At the enterprise level, how can digital transformation help optimize energy use and improve operational efficiency in practice?

According to the International Energy Agency, improvements in energy efficiency have reduced energy demand by around 20% across many economies over the past two decades, showing that there is still significant room for optimization if companies reorganize their data and operations.

However, measurement alone is not enough. Data must be presented and analyzed at the same time to identify relationships among factors and determine optimal solutions. If data lacks sufficient detail, companies will not be able to identify issues or optimize their systems. Once data is fully measured, analyzed, and calculated, companies can pinpoint the most critical energy factors, thereby reducing costs and improving operational efficiency. This marks the shift from experience-based management to data driven management.

How do you view the concept of “data capitalization” and its impact on growth models and the financial system in the coming period?

Digital transformation is not only about technology but a shift in thinking. It changes how organizations are structured, how they operate, and how decisions are made, moving from experience-based approaches to data driven ones. The core of growth in the new model is productivity, and productivity comes from the ability to capitalize data, meaning turning data into economic value.

A clear example is the productivity gap between Vietnam and Singapore, which does not lie in levels of diligence but in the value created within the same unit of time. Continuing to rely on the old model of increasing labor and reducing costs will not overcome the middle-income trap.

By contrast, when data is well governed, companies can turn it into an asset, use it to demonstrate credibility to financial institutions, and even treat it as “collateral” to access green credit. This represents a fundamental shift in the financial system.

Thank you very much!