The Vietnamese government is accelerating the development of a legal framework for the cryptocurrency market, officially finalizing the pilot phase for a digital asset exchange in the third quarter of 2026. This information was announced in the socio-economic report presented to the Vietnamese National Assembly on the afternoon of April 9th, delivered by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on behalf of the Vietnamese government .
According to the report, the central goal for 2026 is to mobilize and effectively utilize all resources to achieve double-digit economic growth. Within this overall picture, the digital economy and digital assets are XEM a new pillar. The launch of a cryptocurrency exchange for pilot operation is considered a significant step, opening the way for the formalization of a Capital market that has existed for many years but lacked a complete legal framework.
The current plan shows that ministries and agencies are rushing to complete policy reviews in order to launch the pilot program in Q3/2026. This timeframe also coincides with the expected start of the tax framework for cryptocurrencies, indicating that Vietnam is moving towards comprehensive management from transactions and custody to financial obligations. The synchronization between transaction mechanisms and tax policies is expected to help curb "black market" transactions, while increasing budget revenue and protecting investors.
Notably, the market has begun to form its first group of candidates for operating licenses. After the initial screening of applications, 5 entities passed the initial screening. These include TCEX, a subsidiary of Techcombank ; CAEX, backed by VPBank and recently receiving additional strategic Capital from OKX ; LPEX, related to LPBank ; VIXEX, owned by VIX Securities ; and Vietnam Digital Asset Joint Stock Company, part of the Sun Group ecosystem. The participation of large banks and corporations in this race shows that digital assets are no longer a marginal field but are gradually becoming part of the mainstream financial system.
