The Fintech - Crypto theme strives to advance impactful research on digital technologies in economics and finance, such as Fintech and Blockchain.
By building strong partnerships with industry stakeholders and policymakers, our research team bridges the gap between academia and practice while guiding the development of policies that shape the future of the digital economy. Additionally, the theme is committed to providing innovative education that equips learners with the advanced skills and knowledge needed to excel in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
Key expertise areas
- Delivering cutting-edge consultancy and advisory.
- Conducting impactful industry research projects in the areas of digital finance and blockchain.
Key accomplishments
Advisory
Providing advisory to prominent international organisations such as Dragon Capital on Blockchain and the tokenisation of real-world assets
Research
Successfully completed a funded research project on Monetary Policy and Cryptocurrencies for the Ethereum Foundation, one of the world's leading blockchain organisations
Research theme highlights
Theme leads
Dr Huy Pham
Dr Huy Pham is a senior lecturer in finance at RMIT University in Vietnam, founder of RMIT FinTech-Crypto Hub and a regular member of the American Finance Association. He is also the APAC Sustainability Theme Lead of RMIT Sustainable Technologies and Systems Platform. He is among the very first academics who brought various knowledge on FinTech, crypto and blockchain to RMIT University. He has published his research work in top-tier academic journals, including Energy Economics, Accounting and Finance, International Review of Finance, Economic Modelling, Energy Policy and Applied Economics, among many others. As a leading researcher in the fields of sustainable finance, FinTech, cryptocurrencies, asset pricing and empirical finance, Huy’s research intertwines these fields to address UN SDGs (focusing on SDG 4, 6, 7, 9, 11 and 13) and create a more sustainable world. He is also one of the most sought-after sustainable finance, fintech and blockchain experts in the APAC region for advisory, research and mentoring activities whereby he has spoken at Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) events and provide media comments from global premium news outlets such as AFP, Fortune, Tech in Asia, Nikkei Asia, ThinkChina, FintechNews, Vietnam Investment Review and Vietnam Economic Times. Huy was the former CFO of GreenAnt, a technology startup focusing on AI and satellite technologies to address climate issues.
Dr Phong Nguyen
Dr Phong Nguyen is a Lecturer at RMIT University, Vietnam. Phong holds a PhD degree in Management at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Phong’s research focuses on blockchain-related phenomena examining issues related to a) the economic mechanisms and outcomes of blockchain platform governance, b) predictors of blockchain innovation and c) country-level adoption of cryptocurrencies and decentralised finance. In addition, Phong also examines topics in management and organisational psychology fields including change and crisis management, workgroup diversity and workplace contexts (e.g., humour, presenteeism and incivility). His work has been published in Journal of Organizational Behavior, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Journal of Business Research, Human Resource Management Review, Organizational Psychology Review, etc. Phong previously served as a Guest Editor of a Special Issue in the Journal of Organizational Behavior and is currently an editorial board member of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science.
Members
- Professor Thai Nguyen, Deputy Dean Learning and Teaching, TBS
- Associate Professor Binh Nguyen - Associate HoD, Economics and Finance; Research and Co-director, CBET
- Associate Professor Tra Pham – HoD, Economics and Finance
- Dr Seng Kiong Kok, HoD, Ungergraduate Business Program (UGBP)
- Dr Tuan Chu, Associate Program Manager, UGBP
- Dr Linh Nguyen – Senior Program Manager, Finance
- Dr Huy Doan – Senior Lecturer, Finance
- Dr Tung Bui – Lecturer, Economics
- Dr Minh Nguyen – Lecturer, Blockchain Enabled Business
- Dr Haji Suleman – Lecturer, Blockchain Enabled Business
- Dr Hieu Thai – Lecturer, Blockchain Enabled Business
- Dr Tam Le – Lecturer, Blockchain Enabled Business
- Dr Son Ha – Lecturer, Blockchain Enabled Busines
- Dr Diem Vo – Lecturer, Blockchain Enabled Business
Monetary Policy in the Age of Cryptocurrencies
The project contains three chapters, with chapter 1 discussing the development of monetary technologies throughout history, monetary policies under each monetary regime standard. Chapter 2 discusses the potential challenges and opportunities of adopting cryptocurrencies as legal tender. Chapter 3 conceptualises the difference between the monetary issuance of proof of work and proof of stake consensus rules and their potential implications for money concentration, monetary policy and economic growth.
Project Lead: Binh Nguyen
Developing a Blockchain trading platform for Vietnam's carbon market
The project developed a blockchain-enabled carbon trading platform that enables transparent and efficient marketing and trading of carbon credits among stakeholders beyond Vietnam. The project also provided an in-depth analysis of the carbon market context in Vietnam, government regulations, and planning. Research on global and regional carbon markets and emission trading schemes (ETS) has also been conducted to explore the potential of connecting Vietnam's ETS with the rest of the world. The team has also worked to ensure the participation of diverse stakeholders in the pilot, including forest farmers, potential businesses, government and non-government agencies, and other technology solution providers that measure carbon sink and credits.
Project Lead: Seng Kiong Kok
- Doan, B., & Vo, D. H. (2025). The interconnection between net buying pressures in derivatives and spot markets. The British Accounting Review, 101702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2025.101702
- Ghanbari, H., Tavakoli, S., Shabani, M., Mohammadi, E., Sadjadi, S. J., & Kumar, R. R. (2025). A two-stage framework for enhancing crsyptocurrency portfolio performance: Integrating credibilistic cvar criterion with A novel asset preselection approach. PLOS One, 20(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325973
- Khan, H. H., Qureshi, F., & Jamali, D. (2025). Digital Disruption in financing: Are fintech and bigtech credit reshaping corporate access to capital? Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, 103, 102198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intfin.2025.102198
- Nguyen, M. H., Thanh, B. N., Pham, H., & Pham, T. T. (2025). The determinants of funding liquidity risk in decentralized lending. Global Finance Journal, 64, 101055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfj.2024.101055
- Pham, Q., Pham, H., Pham, T., & Tiwari, A. K. (2025). Revisiting the role of investor sentiment in the stock market. International Review of Economics & Finance, 100, 104089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2025.104089
- Bui, M., Pham, H., Nguyen Thanh, B., & Tiwari, A. K. (2024). Revisiting the determinants of cryptocurrency excess return: Does scarcity matter? International Review of Economics & Finance, 96, 103733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2024.103733
- Habib Hussain Khan, Kutan, A. M., & Qureshi, F. (2024). Fintech integration: Driving efficiency in banking institutions across the developing nations. Finance Research Letters, 105, 772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2024.105772
- Nguyen, L. T., & Nguyen, P. T. (2024). The interplay between governance mechanisms of blockchain platforms. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 34(3), 367–391. https://doi.org/10.1080/10438599.2024.2346723
- Pham, H., Ngoc, T., Thi, N., & Duong, K. D. (2024). The reversal in the cryptocurrency market before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Does investor attention matter? PLOS ONE, 19(11), e0304377. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0304377
- Phan, C., Stefano Filomeni, & Seng Kiong Kok. (2024). The impact of technology on access to credit: A review of loan approval and terms in rural Vietnam and Thailand. Research in International Business and Finance, 72, 102504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2024.102504
- Shahzad, K., Zhang, Q., Ashfaq, M., Abaid Ullah Zafar, & Ahmad, B. (2024). Pre- to post-adoption of blockchain technology in supply chain management: Influencing factors and the role of firm size. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 198, 122989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122989
- Thi, L., & Nguyen, P. T. (2024). Determinants of cryptocurrency and decentralized finance adoption—A configurational exploration. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 201, 123244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123244
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For further inquiries about the centre, please get in touch with the CBET team at: tbs.cbet@rmit.edu.vn
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Address: RMIT Saigon South Campus, 702 Nguyen Van Linh boulevard, Tan Hung ward, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam
