Key Takeaways:
The Vietnamese government is tracking a program to license the first domestic crypto exchanges.
About 10 banks and securities firms applied, with CAEX (backed by VPBank) at the top of the list with an investment about 10 trillion VND.
Hanoi will draft rules to ban citizens from trading on foreign platforms to control capital and tax.
The government is preparing for the licensing process of domestic crypto trading following the issuance of Resolution 05 in February 2026. They want to bring the country’s crypto activity under control of the government.
The Pilot Timeline and Licensing Process
The Ministry of Finance accepted license applications on January 20, 2026. Many applications are in checks to ensure that the platforms are safe from hackers and money laundering while the review process is supposed to take 30 days.
The government expects the program will go live by the end of March 2026. This shows that Vietnam is eager to finalize the legal framework and start collecting data on a market that has operated without rules for a long time.
Banks and Securities Firms Join This Program
5 to 7 firms passed the first round of government checks out of 10 companies that applied.
The significant participant is CAEX, it is a subsidiary of Vietnam Prosperity Bank (VPBank). CAEX prepared a capital base of 10 trillion VND and built high-tech security and trading infrastructure. Launching a crypto exchange is a way for CAEX to offer services to their customers.
Hanoi Plans to Ban Foreign Platforms
The important part of this new strategy is the plan to ban foreign crypto exchanges. Millions of Vietnamese traders use international platforms to buy and sell coins. The government is drafting regulations that would make it illegal for citizens to trade on these platforms.
Hanoi has two reasons for this move:
The government can monitor the flow of money and prevent lots of VND from leaving the country by forcing trades on domestic exchanges.
Licensed domestic platforms must share their data with the government, making it easier to track taxes and stop criminal activity.
Vietnam hopes to turn this big trading volume into a part of the economy by creating a gateway for crypto.
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