ASEAN Workshop Highlights Regional Cooperation on Digital Asset Supervision

HANOI, Vietnam (Aug. 21, 2025) — Regulators and financial officials from across Southeast Asia convened this week for a two-day workshop on the supervision and enforcement of digital assets, underscoring growing regional efforts to strengthen oversight and promote sustainable development in emerging financial technologies.

Held in hybrid format in Hanoi and organized by the State Securities Commission of Vietnam, the workshop was co-chaired by Sou Socheat, Director General of Cambodia’s Securities and Exchange Regulator (SERC), and supported by the Asian Development Bank. The event brought together representatives from the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum’s Market Development Program (A-MDP), including Bui Hoang Hai, Vice Chairman of Vietnam’s SSC, and Shantanu Chakraborty, ADB Country Director for Vietnam.

In his opening remarks, Sou Socheat emphasized the transformative potential of digital assets, calling for coordinated regulation to ensure stability and investor protection. “Digital assets are creating new opportunities for ASEAN,” he said. “Through cooperation and shared experience, we can build secure, inclusive and resilient markets.”

The workshop featured technical exchanges on regulatory frameworks, cross-border enforcement, and inter-agency coordination. Cambodia’s SERC presented its approach to digital asset supervision, including the use of sandbox environments and ongoing regulatory development.

Participants also discussed the role of securities tokenization in enhancing transparency and efficiency, and explored the feasibility of establishing regional enforcement mechanisms. The A-MDP’s Young Regulators Program was highlighted as a key initiative for capacity building.

The event follows a similar workshop hosted by SERC in Phnom Penh in December 2024 and reflects ASEAN’s commitment to narrowing regulatory gaps and fostering fintech innovation across member states.