Bithumb Partners With SSI Digital in Vietnam Crypto License Push

Vietnam launched a five-year crypto-asset pilot in September 2025, seeking to bring one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing digital-asset markets under domestic oversight. Operators must be Vietnamese entities with at least 10 trillion dong ($380 million) in charter capital, while foreign ownership is capped at 49%. Those thresholds make local partners and funding critical as exchanges compete for a limited number of licenses.

South Korea’s Bithumb signed an MoU with SSI Digital, a unit of Vietnam’s largest securities company SSI Securities, in Hanoi in March and announced the agreement on May 7. The companies plan to build and operate a virtual-asset exchange, spanning trading technology, wallets, custody, cybersecurity, risk controls, regulatory support and institutional business. Bithumb may also make a strategic equity investment in an SSI Digital-designated entity, subject to approval. No timetable was disclosed for a license application or final investment decision.