OKX and HashKey Capital are investing in Vietnam Prosperity Crypto Asset Exchange, or CAEX, as it seeks to join the Vietnamese government’s pilot programme for regulated digital asset trading. The investment amount was not disclosed.
The two firms are joining CAEX as strategic partners alongside founding shareholders VPBank Securities and LynkiD.
They will inject capital in April 2026 to help CAEX meet the VND 10 trillion, or about US$380 million, minimum charter capital requirement.
This is needed for the exchange to take part in the five-year regulatory sandbox under Government Resolution 05/2025/NQ-CP.
The investment comes as Vietnam moves to formalise a market that recorded more than US$100 billion in annual crypto inflows between 2022 and 2024.
High Barriers for Vietnam’s First Crypto Trading Licences
The Ministry of Finance is reviewing licence applications, with CAEX reportedly among only five companies to clear the initial qualification round.
Under the new framework, licensed operators are expected to function in a similar way to regulated financial institutions.
Requirements include compliance with Financial Action Task Force anti-money laundering standards and Level 4 IT security, the highest technical standard in Vietnam.
As part of the partnership, OKX and HashKey will support CAEX with technical infrastructure, security systems and liquidity connectivity.
“Long-term growth comes from aligning with regulatory clarity, not avoiding it,” said Star Xu, Founder and CEO of OKX. He added that as rules become clearer, liquidity is increasingly moving toward compliant venues.
The investment also strengthens VPBank’s presence in the digital asset space.
VPBank Securities will contribute financial governance and investment expertise, while LynkiD will oversee digital identity and core platform infrastructure.
Vietnam’s pilot programme is aimed at shifting the country’s retail-heavy offshore crypto activity into a regulated domestic market, with a focus on tokenised real-world assets.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by saurabh Jainth via Freepik
