Conviction 2026 to link Vietnam to global crypto scene

Conviction 2026 Forum is scheduled for 8-9 May 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City, with organisers positioning it as a meeting point for policymakers, investors and technology firms focused on digital assets.

The conference is set to be held at the Thiskyhall Convention Centre. It is organised by the Ho Chi Minh City Blockchain Association and is recognised by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. Ninety Eight is listed as the host.

The forum returns after an inaugural 2025 edition that drew a large audience, with organisers reporting more than 26,000 registrations and 5,000 attendee check-ins, alongside more than 150 speakers and 100 exhibitors.

Policy focus

The 2026 edition carries the theme "Connecting Vietnam to the Global Digital Asset Economy". The programme is expected to examine how digital assets intersect with capital markets, payments infrastructure and institutional finance.

Conference materials suggest a shift in emphasis from retail-led activity to institutional participation. This reflects a broader trend in parts of South East Asia, where financial firms, exchanges and infrastructure providers have increased engagement with tokenised assets, stablecoins and blockchain-based settlement concepts.

Vietnam has featured prominently in global crypto adoption rankings in recent years. Organisers cited a fourth-place position in the 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index and estimated that nearly 20% of the population engages with digital assets. Estimates vary by methodology, although Vietnam often ranks highly on measures that capture retail usage and peer-to-peer activity.

Alongside high levels of consumer participation, the forum is emphasising government work on formal frameworks and pilot sandboxes for digital assets. Regulatory sandboxes typically allow controlled testing of new financial products under oversight and within defined limits.

Agenda themes

The Conviction 2026 agenda includes discussions on capital market development and asset tokenisation, the representation of real-world or financial assets on a blockchain. Organisers also highlighted modern payments infrastructure, including the use of stablecoins for cross-border settlement.

The programme is also expected to explore AI-driven risk management in financial services, which can include transaction monitoring, fraud detection and credit assessment. The conference outline did not specify particular implementations or vendors.

Other planned sessions cover evolving global compliance standards and the design of regulatory sandboxes. The forum also aims to address programmable money and decentralised identity, including enterprise applications. Programmable money generally refers to payment instruments with built-in rules for execution, while decentralised identity involves verifying credentials without relying on a single central database.

Local organisers

The conference is led by the Ho Chi Minh City Blockchain Association, an industry group that promotes blockchain activity in the city. Ninety Eight, a Vietnamese digital assets and Web3 company, is the event host.

Vinh The Nguyen holds several roles tied to the forum. He is Co-Founder and CEO of Ninety Eight, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Blockchain Association, and CEO of the Conviction Forum.

He described the 2026 event as a step towards more established market infrastructure for digital assets.

"At Conviction 2026, we are moving beyond the 'experimentation' phase to build the actual infrastructure that connects Vietnam's vibrant digital energy with the global financial grid," said Vinh The Nguyen, Co-founder & CEO of Ninety Eight, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Blockchain Association, and CEO of the Conviction Forum.

He also said the goal is for Vietnam to play a more central role as digital assets become more integrated with commerce.

"Our goal is to ensure that as digital assets become the backbone of modern commerce, Vietnam isn't just following the movement, but driving it from the center of Ho Chi Minh City," Nguyen said.

Organisers reported that the 2025 event generated 65 million media impressions and connected developers, policymakers and institutional investors. The 2026 edition is expected to build on that mix, with a stronger emphasis on institutional participation, policy alignment and the commercial use of digital asset tools in payments and capital markets.