Vietnam imposes fines up to $7,700 for unlicensed crypto trading

Vietnam has decreed administrative penalties for using unlicensed cryptocurrency platforms, adding an enforcement framework ahead of the country's regulated market.

Decree No. 284/2026/NĐ-CP, issued July 16, fines investors up to 50 million Vietnamese dong ($1,900) for trading through unlicensed platforms. Unauthorized crypto offerings and serious anti-money-laundering violations carry fines of up to 200 million dong ($7,700). The rules also let authorities suspend crypto-related activities and confiscate assets.

Vietnam opened license applications for domestic crypto exchanges in January. Deputy Finance Minister Nguyen Duc Chi said in May the market could see its first regulated activities begin in the third quarter.

Vietnamese traders moved more than $220 billion in digital assets between July 2024 and June 2025, according to Chainalysis. The country ranked fourth globally in the firm's 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index.