As the crypto industry enters a new phase of maturity, the global conversation is shifting away from speculation and toward infrastructure and real-world economic impact. Conviction 2026 Forum returns at this pivotal moment to position Vietnam at the center of the next wave of digital asset adoption across Asia and beyond. The Southeast Asian country, known for its pristine beaches, natural landscapes, rich history, and vibrant culture, is currently at a powerful inflection point. According to Chainalysis’ 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index , Vietnam ranks 4th globally in crypto adoption. About 20% of its population (around 17 to 18 million Vietnamese) is estimated to be holding or using crypto assets, reflecting deep and wider public engagement. At the same time, the policy landscape of Vietnam has advanced significantly over the past year. Blockchain has been recognized as one of the nation’s 11 Strategic Technologies. A law on the Digital Technology Industry has also been passed, while the government launched a five-year pilot for Vietnam’s digital asset markets, and the Prime Minister issued the National Strategy for the sector to position Vietnam as a regional blockchain hub. Late last year, the world’s leading crypto exchange, Binance, also signed an MoU with the City’s Department of Finance to support blockchain innovation and the development of Vietnam’s International Financial Centre. All these developments signal the transition of Vietnam’s crypto market from user-driven adoption toward regulatory, systemic, and institutional readiness. This momentum is accelerating. Danang has launched regulatory sandboxes for digital asset frameworks, while multiple submissions for local cryptocurrency exchanges are under review. The convergence of policy readiness and market demand has created a decisive window for institutional participation. Bringing Together Blockchain Leaders, Digital Asset Stakeholders, and Policymakers Over the last few years, crypto has taken over the world. In more established hubs like Singapore, Hong Kong, or Dubai, blockchain infrastructure has already been deeply embedded into their financial infrastructure. Unlike these regions, Vietnam is still at an earlier but strategic stage, presenting a stellar opportunity to design blockchain-native regulatory and financial frameworks right from the beginning. To help the nation take advantage of this massive opportunity, Vinh The Nguyen, Co-founder and CEO of Ninety Eight, is hosting Conviction 2026, a forum for creators, visionaries, retailers, and decision-makers to come together and harness blockchain and digital assets to build a new economic layer. Nguyen is also the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Blockchain Association (HBA) and a Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia (Finance & Venture Capital) honoree. Under his leadership, Conviction has positioned itself as a bridge between policy ambition and technological execution. To be held in the coming months, Conviction 2026 will gather global policymakers, financial institutions, builders, and innovators to explore how blockchain, digital assets, and AI are being adopted as foundational systems shaping the future of finance. As the key stakeholders assemble on May 8 and 9, 2026, in Ho Chi Minh City, they will advance the dialogue around crypto beyond market hype to infrastructure expansion, institutional engagement, policy development, and practical deployment. Conviction has already proven its capabilities. Last year, the event started with a bold point, amplifying the resonance of blockchain & AI. With 26,000+ registrations, 150+ speakers, 100+ exhibitors and participating companies, and 32 million media reach, Conviction 2025 demonstrated the conference’s ability to convene at institutional scale. Vietnam’s Blockchain and Digital Asset Platform for Global Institutional Alignment Digital assets have already begun converging with mainstream financial systems on the global level. This comes as stablecoins surpass a $300 bln market cap and emerge as cross-border payment and settlement rails, over $21 billion of capital markets and real-world assets are tokenized, and AI-driven financial systems transform compliance, risk management, and operational efficiency. With emerging markets across APAC becoming a critical crypto validation field, recording $2.36 trillion transaction volumes , led by Vietnam, India, and Pakistan, this creates a decisive window for action. The time is clearly now to bridge Vietnam’s local momentum with global financial infrastructure. Against this backdrop, Conviction 2026 will serve as a strategic convening platform to align policy, capital, technology, and execution. The idea is to look for scalable pathways beyond experimentation with the event’s focus on financial infrastructure and markets, capital market development and asset tokenization, stablecoins as settlement infrastructure, and blockchain as foundational technology for next-generation financial centres. On the policy front, the event will conduct discussions on regulatory frameworks for digital assets, policy sandbox models, and institutional risk management and compliance using AI. Broader economic considerations will include digital finance and programmable money, Web3 in consumer and enterprise applications, and lessons from global markets and implications for emerging economies. Conviction 2026 has already been officially recognized by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee as part of the city’s 2026 activity plan. So, as crypto gains mainstream adoption, Ninety Eight is organizing the event to move conversations to actual real-world implementation, help build a next-generation financial hub with blockchain as its core, and connect Vietnam to the global digital asset economy.
