Vietnam has put up January as the deadline for the licensing of the pilot crypto exchanges. In the process of getting to the point of really having control over the crypto market that has grown very fast, to a great extent the government is imposing the licensing of the exchanges of digital assets under the sandbox of regulation by the Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh before the 15 th of January. As a result of this new regulatory approach the sector is being tested.
This new move was made public at the national conference held online on January 6 and with the primary focus on finance sector’s performance review for the year 2025 and the drawing up of priorities for the year 2026. The activities around the licencing of the pilot cryptocurrencies exchanges were among the eight areas considered as key task groups of the year ahead with the support of Vietnam Investment Review.
The authorities in Vietnam are keeping a close watch on the interest in digital/crypto assets coming from both local and foreign investors as it is one of the main reasons for the government making the more formal pilot framework in September 2025. The formal approach has sped up the interest from the market to get the regulators’ attention.
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Vietnam Builds Legal and Regulatory Guardrails for Crypto in 2026
Vietnam is welcoming 2026 with a more robust legal basis for its digital economy. On January 1, the Law on the Digital Technology Industry began enforcement and it explicitly included digital assets among other areas like semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
The government’s plan is to gradually open up the crypto playground, which would start off with a very tightly controlled setting. The official from the Cryptoasset Trading Market Management Board under the State Securities Commission stated that only five companies would be picked in the first round.
The criteria for admission are such that they would attract only big institutional players. The capital required for the companies applying for a license must be around $400 million. The institutions must have a minimum of 65% of that capital, whereas over 35% must be coming from at least two established entities such as banks, brokerage firms, fund managers, insurers, or tech firms, and so on.
The infrastructure reiterates the importance of financial strength and system security. Institutional shareholders are required to have profits for the two preceding years, which are to be supported by financial statements certified by auditors whose opinions are unqualified. The companies providing services are required to attain level 4 IT security out of 5 levels.
Multiple agencies will take part in the supervision. The Ministry of Finance will oversee the operations, the State Bank of Vietnam will check the capital flows to avoid money laundering, and the Ministry of Public Security will carry out actions against high-tech crime.
