Vietnam Central Bank Governor Receives 'A+' Rating in Global Finance Report

Nguyen Thi Hong, the first female central bank governor of Vietnam, has been awarded an ‘A+’ rating on the 2023 Central Banker Report Cards by Global Finance magazine. At 55 years old, Hong is one of only three central bank governors worldwide to receive an ‘A+’ rating from the U.S.-based publication. The other two recipients of this prestigious rating are Shaktikanta Das, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and Thomas J Jordan, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank.

Appointed by Vietnam’s legislative National Assembly in November 2020, Hong assumed the role of Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). She holds a master’s degree in Developmental Economics and has been working at the SBV since 1991, serving in various managerial positions.

Global Finance’s Central Banker Report Cards have been published annually since 1994, evaluating the performance of central bank governors from 101 countries, territories, and districts, including the European Union, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Bank of Central African States, and the Central Bank of West African States. The report grades governors based on their success in areas such as inflation control, economic growth goals, currency stability, and interest rate management. Ratings range from ‘A’ for excellent performance to ‘F’ for outright failure, as stated in a press release by Global Finance. The full Central Banker Report Cards 2023 report and grade list will be available in the October issue of Global Finance magazine and on their website, GFMag.com.

Joseph Giarraputo, the founder and editorial director of Global Finance, highlighted the significance of central bankers in combating inflation, particularly in the context of pent-up demand and disrupted supply chains.

Other central bank governors who received an ‘A’ grade in the report include Roberto Campos Neto of Brazil, Amir Yaron of Israel, Harvesh Kumar Seegolam of Mauritius, Adrian Orr of New Zealand, Jose Cantero Sienra of Paraguay, Julio Velarde of Peru, Chin-Long Yang of Taiwan, and Diego Labat of Uruguay.