Vietnam to launch regulated crypto asset market in 2026

Vietnam's State Securities Commission announced that crypto assets and tokenized real‑world assets will be incorporated into the country's formal digital‑economy framework. A regulated market is slated to begin operation in the third quarter of 2026, following a five‑year pilot program for licensed trading platforms established by government decree 05/2025/NQ‑CP.

The Digital Technology Industry Law, effective 1 January 2026, recognises digital assets as property, providing a clear legal basis for ownership and investor protection. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung directed the pilot launch for Q2 2026, and the Ministry of Finance has received seven licence applications, five of which passed an initial screening and include major banks such as Techcombank, VPBank and LPBank.

The pilot aims to channel the estimated $220‑$230 billion annual crypto transaction volume that currently flows through unregulated channels into a domestically regulated system, requiring all trading to be settled in Vietnamese dong and imposing capital thresholds on licence holders. Penalties are planned for domestic investors who trade on unlicensed platforms.

Officials also highlighted tokenised assets—real estate, gold, infrastructure, data centres and energy projects—as part of the future financial infrastructure. Projections suggest Vietnam’s tokenised‑asset market could reach $70‑$80 billion by 2030, while the global market may hit $19 trillion by 2033.