The announcement was made on April 10 by OKX founder and CEO Star Xu, confirming that the company will join CAEX as a strategic partner alongside domestic founding shareholders including VPBank Securities (VPBankS), LynkiD, and international investor HashKey Capital.

Supporting Vietnam’s pilot crypto framework

Through its investment arm, OKX Ventures, the company will contribute capital in April 2026 to help CAEX meet the minimum charter capital requirement of VND 10 trillion ($380 million). This is a key condition for participating in Vietnam’s pilot program for regulated digital asset trading.

The partnership aims to support CAEX in developing critical areas such as infrastructure, regulatory compliance, security, risk management and liquidity - ensuring sustainable growth within Vietnam’s evolving legal framework.

Star Xu said the move reflects OKX’s long-standing strategy of proactively working with regulators, rather than operating outside formal oversight.

Betting on Southeast Asia’s growth

OKX expects that by 2030, most Southeast Asian markets will have completed legal frameworks and licensing systems for digital asset companies.

The region is already one of the world’s most active crypto trading hubs. The next phase, according to the company, is to bring these activities into a regulated, transparent and high-trust environment.

Founded in 2017, OKX (formerly OKEx) is one of the world’s leading centralized crypto exchanges and Web3 technology platforms, serving over 50 million users across more than 100 countries with services including spot trading, derivatives, staking and decentralized wallets.

CAEX, backed by VPBank’s ecosystem, is among five companies identified by Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance as having complete and valid applications to participate in the country’s pilot crypto exchange program.

The investment underscores growing global interest in Vietnam’s digital economy and signals increasing momentum toward a regulated and scalable crypto market in the country.

Le My