KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's largest commercial bank, Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) has no plans to buy another bank this year but remains keen on increasing its stake in Vietnam' s An Binh Bank (ABB), its top official said, local media reported on Wednesday.

    Maybank is not deterred by the current difficult circumstances in Vietnam, such as fast-rising inflation and a falling stock market, as it is looking at the country from a long-term perspective, President and chief executive officer Abdul Wahid Omar said here on Tuesday.

    "I think the longer-term view remains intact and therefore we'll continue to invest in Vietnam. The intention is there (to increase our stake)," the New Straits Times quoted Wahid as saying.

    Maybank paid 430 million ringgit (132 million U.S. dollars) in cash for a 15 percent stake in ABB earlier in March. It has the right to increase its stake by another five percent, pending Vietnamese authorities' approval.

    Current rules allow foreign banks to own only up to 15 percent of a local bank, with the possibility of raising it to 20 percent subject to government approval.

    Besides ABB, Maybank had bought a 15 percent stake in Pakistan's MCB bank and a controlling stake in Bank International Indonesia(BII).