Vietnam partners with Binance as HCM City pushes global finance hub plan

  • Binance will introduce foreign investors and financial institutions to Vietnam.
  • The agreement includes support for digital asset rules and blockchain payment systems.
  • A joint working group will monitor progress twice a year.

Vietnam has taken a significant step in its long-term plan to build an international financial hub, with HCM City now partnering with Binance following an MoU signed on 26 November 2025.

The agreement was finalised during the Autumn Economic Forum 2025, attended by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, municipal leaders, ministry representatives, and international investment funds.

The collaboration brings Vietnam closer to its goal of creating a modern financial ecosystem that can attract global investors and digital finance companies.

It also builds on Vietnam’s strategy to become more competitive across Asia as technology and digital assets reshape global capital flows.

Partnership expands Vietnam’s global financial links

HCM City is one of two key locations selected for the Vietnam International Financial Centre initiative.

The new agreement with Binance adds momentum to this plan by bringing one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges into Vietnam’s financial development efforts.

The partnership follows the city’s MoU with Nasdaq in October 2025, showing Vietnam’s intention to work closely with major global platforms.

Binance will introduce foreign investors, financial companies, and investment funds to Vietnam to help attract new capital to the financial centre.

This approach aims to increase international participation and strengthen Vietnam’s ability to connect with global markets.

Support for digital asset rules and blockchain activity

A major part of the cooperation involves shaping Vietnam’s regulatory environment for digital assets and blockchain applications.

Binance will share experience from its global operations to help Vietnam design rules for digital asset use, crypto trading, and blockchain activity.

The agreement covers the development of payment systems using cryptocurrencies and support for digital finance projects that follow strong compliance and safety standards.

Vietnam aims to build a clear regulatory structure that can protect users while supporting innovation, especially as demand for transparent rules in digital finance continues to grow across the region.

Joint working group and blockchain sandbox

To guide the partnership, Vietnam and Binance will set up a joint working group that meets twice a year to track progress.

The agreement also includes the creation of a sandbox for blockchain and crypto projects.

This controlled environment will allow companies to test products under regulatory supervision.

The sandbox will encourage innovation while reducing risks, giving local and international businesses a structured pathway to explore new technologies.

The mechanism is expected to support responsible growth and help regulators understand emerging digital finance models.

Training and support for startups in new technologies

The partnership extends beyond regulation and investment.

Vietnam aims to support startups and small businesses working in blockchain, artificial intelligence, and fintech.

The cooperation includes training sessions, workshops, and expert guidance for regulators and companies.

These programmes will help improve technical capacity and expand knowledge among teams that are crucial to the development of a modern financial centre.

Vietnam sees this as an opportunity to prepare its workforce for a more digital future and compete with regional hubs that are also investing in advanced technologies.

Long term vision to become an Asian finance hub

The collaboration with Binance reinforces Vietnam’s ambition to position HCM City as a major Asian financial hub by 2030.

With new international partnerships, growing regulatory planning, and a focus on digital finance, Vietnam is building the foundations of a financial centre designed for global integration.

The MoU marks another step in linking Vietnam with leading institutions and strengthening its role in regional economic development.

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Bitcoin stalls around $86k, could dip lower; Check forecast

Key takeaways

  • BTC is down by less than 1% in the last 24 hours and is currently trading below $87k.
  • It could dip lower if the bullish trend fails to prevail.

Bitcoin stalls around $86k

Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP) prices hover around key levels following a positive start to the week. The price action of the leading cryptocurrencies suggests fading bearish momentum. 

However, the bulls have failed to push prices higher, and Bitcoin could revisit lower support levels in the near term. However, if the support levels hold, Bitcoin could rally higher over the next few days.

Analysts are optimistic that Bitcoin’s price could appreciate in the medium to long term. While commenting on the current market conditions, Coinbase UK CEO Keith Grose said,

“Market conditions are shifting as institutions across Europe take a more structured and regulated approach to digital assets. We’re seeing clearer frameworks emerge, stronger infrastructure being developed, and early examples of central banks and financial institutions running controlled pilots to build practical understanding – including the Czech National Bank’s recent decision to test a small, ring-fenced portfolio of digital assets.”

Bitcoin’s price could face further pressure

The BTC/USD 4-hour chart is bearish and efficient as Bitcoin has underperformed in the last 24 hours. The leading cryptocurrency found support around the $80k psychological level on Friday and has slightly bounced back since then. 

At press time, Bitcoin is trading around $86,800 per coin after failing to overcome the $90k resistance level. If the recovery continues, BTC could rally toward the next key resistance at $90,000.  The ILQ and TLQ levels above $92k could also serve as short-term targets for Bitcoin. 

BTC/USD 4H Chart

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the 4-hour chart reads 47, after slipping below the oversold threshold last week, suggesting that downside pressure is declining. The MACD lines are also close to the bullish zone as buyers remain in control.

However, if BTC fails to overcome the $90k resistance, it could extend the decline toward the key psychological level at $80,000.

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Stablecoin issuer Paxos acquires Fordefi to strengthen institutional DeFi access

  • Paxos purchases an institutional wallet provider in a $100M deal.
  • The move leverages Fordefi’s MPC wallet for a regulated custody framework.
  • DeFi is increasingly becoming part of the mainstream monetary infrastructure.

Paxos, a reputable blockchain infrastructure company behind multiple stablecoins, confirmed the acquisition on Forderfi late on Tuesday.

While the firms didn’t reveal the transaction’s value, sources close to the matter suggest that the deal exceeds $100 million, reflecting one of the most aggressive and strategic expansions in recent years.

The team emphasized:

This strengthens our ability to support institutions with more flexible and sophisticated digital asset infrastructure.

For context, Fordefi is a thriving enterprise wallet and custody provider.

This acquisition comes as institutions are moving to on-chain operations at an unprecedented pace.

Companies exploring blockchain technology like tokenized assets, complex DeFi strategies, and stablecoin settlements are seeking secure, modular custody.

Paxos aims to satisfy this demand by merging its compliant custodial infrastructure with Fordefi’s policy-centered MPC (multi-party computation) wallet tech.

Commenting on the strategic purchase, Paxos co-founder and CEO Charles Cascarilla said:

Together, Paxos and Fordefi provide customers with a world-class custody solution built upon advanced wallet technology and regulated, qualified custody. We’re excited to welcome Fordefi to our team as we enter this new phase of growth.

Paxos enriches its enterprise playbook

Businesses venturing into the blockchain and crypto sectors have leveraged Paxos for compliant infrastructure and custody.

The firm maintains a high-end regulatory model, with supervision from Singapore’s MAS, the NYDFS in the US, Abu Dhabi’s FSRA, and FIN-FSA in Europe.

Moreover, its tokenization and stablecoin systems power fiscal settlements for leading companies, including MasterCard, Nubank, PayPal, and Interactive Brokers.

Now, Paxos is integrating Fordefi to offer its customers a unified platform that supports everything from asset tokenization and issuance to streamlined access to DeFi protocols.

CEO Cascarillar added:

Fordefi has built an impressive stack and customer base founded on easy-to-use APIs and seamless web3 connectivity. Market participants require a regulated platform partner that meets their range of complex custody needs.

The fast-growing Fordefi

Fordefi has grown into a reputable institutional wallet provider in the DeFi industry since its 2021 launch.

The platform boasts two crucial features.

First and foremost, Fordefi’s MPC-based address model reduced single-point failure risks.

On the other hand, the policy engines enable enterprises to handle compliance rules, risk management, and permissions across decentralized and centralized setups.

Fordefi currently secures over $120 billion in monthly transactions, supporting nearly 300 enterprises, including hedge funds, crypto-native companies, and trading desks.

Josh Schwartz, CEO of Fordefi, believes Paxos will heighten its reach while aligning with its primary missions. He said:

Fordefi has built a best-in-class wallet platform trusted by nearly 300 institutions. Joining Paxos allows us to bring our technology to an even broader audience while maintaining our focus on security, usability, and innovation. Together, we will offer enterprises the unified custody and stablecoin infrastructure they need to deploy real-world digital asset use cases at scale.

For now, Fordefi will operate independently as Paxos pursues a phased integration.

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Sweden’s Klarna announces KlarnaUSD stablecoin, set to go live on Tempo

  • Klarna launches KlarnaUSD, a USD-pegged stablecoin, on Stripe and Paradigm’s Tempo chain.
  • KlarnaUSD targets cheaper cross-border payments before wider consumer rollout.
  • Stablecoin market surges past $300B as major fintechs adopt blockchain rails.

Klarna has taken a major step into digital finance with the announcement of KlarnaUSD, a USD-pegged stablecoin built on Tempo, the new layer-1 blockchain developed by Stripe and Paradigm.

The move signals a decisive shift for the Swedish digital bank, which is preparing to integrate blockchain technology more deeply into its global payment systems.

Klarna steps into crypto

KlarnaUSD is now live on Tempo’s testnet, with a full mainnet rollout planned for 2026.

The stablecoin is issued through Bridge, Stripe’s dedicated stablecoin infrastructure product, giving Klarna a direct connection to one of the most advanced payment-focused blockchain stacks.

Notably, Klarna is the first financial institution to issue a token on Tempo, a blockchain engineered specifically for fast and low-cost payments.

Klarna explained that the token will first support internal payment flows.

The goal is to cut the cost of cross-border transfers, a persistent expense for global fintech companies.

After the mainnet rollout, the digital bank has signalled plans to extend KlarnaUSD to merchants and consumers after internal testing.

That expansion would build on Klarna’s broad checkout and instalment-payment network, though the firm says there are currently no plans to integrate the stablecoin into its buy now, pay later product.

Klarna’s push to cut global transfer costs

Klarna’s CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, once sceptical of crypto, has now embraced blockchain’s potential in payments.

Siemiatkowski said that crypto has reached a stage where it is “fast, low-cost, secure, and built for scale,” describing KlarnaUSD as the beginning of a broader strategy.

With more than 114 million customers and $112 billion in annual gross merchandise volume, Klarna believes it has the scale to shift how global payments work.

The bank’s partnership with Stripe has been central to this push. Stripe already processes much of Klarna’s traffic, and Tempo provides the infrastructure for more efficient settlement.

Cross-border payments cost consumers and businesses around $120 billion each year, and KlarnaUSD is expected to cut a significant portion of these fees.

Early estimates across the industry suggest blockchain-based rails can reduce international payment costs by up to 90% compared to traditional networks.

Furthermore, KlarnaUSD’s launch comes at a moment when stablecoin usage is surging, with annual transaction volume already surpassing $27 trillion, according to McKinsey.

The global stablecoin market capitalisation has climbed from $260 billion in July to about $304 billion by November, with much of this growth coming after the passage of the US GENIUS Act, the first federal law governing stablecoins.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expects stablecoins to reach a $3 trillion market cap by 2030, a scale that could save the US government $114 billion annually.

A market expanding at record speed

Other major companies are also entering the stablecoin arena.

MetaMask launched mUSD earlier this year, and Western Union plans to deploy a stablecoin on Solana in 2026.

Visa added support for the Global Dollar token and expanded settlement capabilities across Stellar and Avalanche.

The momentum suggests that stablecoins are becoming a central pillar in global financial infrastructure.

Klarna’s entrance adds another high-profile name to this growing list.

The bank recently listed on the New York Stock Exchange, raising $1.37 billion and reinforcing its financial position despite its stock hovering near 52-week lows.

Strong liquidity gives Klarna room to explore blockchain-based products, with executives hinting that more crypto-related projects are on the way.

As KlarnaUSD moves toward mainnet, eyes will be on how the firm integrates the token into its global operations.

If successful, KlarnaUSD may become one of the clearest examples yet of how established fintech companies can use blockchain to update old payment systems, and potentially redefine the future of cross-border money movement.

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Monad (MON) soars 76% as mainnet launch sparks $1.2B trading surge

  • Monad pumped more than 76% in 24 hours to touch a high of $0.045.
  • The layer-1 blockchain’s mainnet went live this week and has an ambitious roadmap for DeFi.
  • MON is listed on top exchanges, including Coinbase and Upbit.

Monad price has skyrocketed 76% in the past 24 hours, extending gains after the highly anticipated mainnet launch that occurred on November 24, 2025.

The MON token’s gains saw the cryptocurrency rank among top gainers in the market, with its trading volume having exploded to $1.2 billion to reflect speculative enthusiasm.

The Layer-1 blockchain platform’s launch brings momentum, such as lending protocols, yield products, and liquid staking products. The memecoin frenzy is another segment to watch.

Monad pumps 76% amid $1.2 billion volume

Monad flipped the switch on its public mainnet on Monday, unlocking a cascade of decentralized applications and liquidity pools.

The token rose sharply, with intraday lows of $0.025 and highs of $0.045. MON price has jumped more than 106% since touching lows of $0.020.

Per data on CoinMarketCap, a more than 600% spike in daily volume pushed the metric to over $1.2 billion.

This sees the token rank as one of the biggest movers in terms of market activity on the day. In fact, the pump has seen Monad price outpace many top coins, including Kaspa, Sui, and Ethena.

Why is Monad price up?

As noted, what is likely fueling the momentum is Monad’s mainnet launch and DeFi potential.

In a post on X, the L1 outlined what it sees as a roadmap towards seamless integrations for DeFi growth.

Lending protocols like Curvance and TownSquare enable users to leverage MON, liquid staking tokens (LSTs), and stablecoins with high loan-to-value ratios and automated looping strategies.

Yield products such as the MON Vault and the earnAUSD Vault from Upshift offer composable, hands-off returns on stablecoins.

Meanwhile, liquid staking options further amplify utility, allowing stakers to earn rewards while deploying LSTs in DeFi.

Monad is also up amid major exchange listings. Market observers attribute the volume spike to this, with speculative fervor and early ecosystem incentives key.

Among the top centralized exchanges to list MON are Coinbase, Upbit, Bithumb, Kraken, KuCoin, and Bybit.

MON price forecast

Despite the potential for profit-taking, there’s a possibility for the token to climb further.

As well as listings, other bullish catalysts will include ecosystem grants and partnerships. If Monad mirrors growth for projects such as Solana, Hyperliquid, and others, the token’s growth trajectory will tell in immediate gains.

However, bearish risks are there. It includes the aforementioned profit-taking and regulatory scrutiny.

If bulls take charge, a breakout above $0.1 could bring the coveted $1 into play. On the flipside, a retreat to lows of $0.25 will embolden sellers.

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