Abstract

Population aging is profoundly affecting socioeconomic structures and fostering the emergence of the silver economy, which encompasses production, business, and service activities designed to meet the needs of older people. This economy not only creates requirements for healthcare and social security but also generates substantial investment demand in infrastructure, technology, logistics, housing, tourism, transportation, energy, and support services. This article examines the relationship among the silver economy, small and medium-sized enterprises, and green credit; clarifies the legal foundations of green credit under Vietnamese law; and assesses its development, capital allocation, incentive mechanisms, and barriers facing enterprises and credit institutions. It proposes improving policies on the silver economy and green finance, establishing priority projects that both serve older people and satisfy environmental criteria, developing green credit guarantee mechanisms for small and medium-sized enterprises, reducing green project certification costs, strengthening cash-flow-based credit assessment, facilitating medium- and long-term financing, establishing risk-sharing mechanisms, and controlling greenwashing.

Keywords: Green credit, green finance, population aging, silver economy, small and medium-sized enterprises, sustainable development.