On the evening of December 20, 2025, at Ba Na Hills, Da Nang City, the International Scientific Conference on Digital Economy and FinTech Innovation – DeFi 2025 officially concluded after a full day of rigorous, dynamic, and academically rich discussions. The conference was initiated and hosted by the Vietnam–Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU), the University of Danang, in collaboration with Kyung Hee University (Republic of Korea) and international partners. The event continued to affirm VKU’s pioneering role in creating international-standard academic forums in the fields of digital economy and financial technology.

Overview of the DeFi 2025 Closing Ceremony

Attending the closing session of DeFi 2025, on behalf of the Organizing Committee were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Huynh Cong Phap – Rector of VKU and Chair of the Organizing Committee; Prof. Kwak Jae Sung – Head of the ODA Project Management Consultant (KOICA), Kyung Hee University (Republic of Korea), President of the Korea Association for International Development and Economic Cooperation (KAIDEC), and Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee. The closing ceremony was also attended by a large number of scientists, experts, keynote speakers, and representatives from governmental agencies, international organizations, universities, and enterprises, together with nearly 200 authors from 10 countries and territories.

Dr. Tran The Son – Vice Rector of VKU, delivered the closing remarks at the conference

In his closing remarks, Dr. Tran The Son – Vice Rector of VKU emphasized that DeFi 2025 successfully fulfilled its key objective of connecting the international academic community, disseminating research outcomes with strong scientific and practical value, and opening up numerous policy implications as well as new research directions in the fields of digital economy and financial technology innovation. Through this, the conference acknowledged and highly appreciated the sense of responsibility, dedication, and professional contributions of scientists, experts, reviewers, and international partners, thereby affirming VKU’s organizational capacity, academic credibility, and its increasingly strengthened position on the regional and international research map. The success of the conference was also significantly supported by the companionship, co-sponsorship, and sponsorship of reputable organizations and enterprises, particularly the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Korea Association for International Development and Economic Cooperation (KAIDEC), Hanwha Life, and the ChorogUsan Foundation (Republic of Korea). Their valuable support played an important role in ensuring the success of the conference and in laying a solid foundation for the sustainable development of DeFi in the coming years.

Parallel sessions presented at the conference

DeFi 2025 attracted strong interest from the international academic community, receiving nearly 100 scientific paper submissions from authors representing 11 countries and territories, including Russia, the Republic of Korea, India, Thailand, Australia, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Cambodia, Malta, and Vietnam. All submissions underwent a rigorous peer-review process, with each paper evaluated by two to five independent reviewers who are reputable scholars in the fields of digital economy and FinTech. As a result, 33 papers were selected for oral presentation at the conference and published in Volume 1 on the IEEE Xplore digital library, while 29 papers were presented in poster sessions and published in Volume 2 of the conference proceedings (ISBN), issued by the Information and Communications Publishing House.

Two keynote presentations at the plenary session

At the plenary session, DeFi 2025 was honored to feature two keynote speeches delivered by internationally renowned scholars. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Herwig Unger from Hagen University (Germany) presented the keynote titled “Think Global, Act Local: An Alternative Approach to Social Networking”, while Dr. Sangwon Ko – Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI), Vice Chair of Study Group 1, Development Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and Executive Committee Member of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO – delivered the keynote “Digital Economy at a Crossroads”. In addition, DeFi 2025 featured three parallel sessions, including oral sessions (Volume 1) and poster sessions (Volume 2), structured around three main tracks: Policies for Digital Transformation, Digital Economy and Industry 4.0, and Technical Advances in Finance. These sessions created a multidimensional academic exchange environment, fostering interdisciplinary approaches and providing opportunities for young researchers, doctoral candidates, and students to engage with international academic standards, expand research collaboration, and enhance research capacity.

The Organizing Committee presenting Best Paper Awards to the most outstanding papers in the three tracks

At the closing session, the Organizing Committee presented the Best Paper Awards to outstanding research papers in each track:

• Best Paper Award (Track 1): “Green Accounting and Firm Performance: A PRISMA Review” by Nguyen Huu Anh, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngoc, Nguyen Thi Cam Van, and Phan Minh Hoa Nguyen.
• Best Paper Award (Track 2): “User Satisfaction and Performance Expectancy as Dual Pathways in Blockchain Adoption: Evidence from Vietnam’s Fashion Industry” by Duong Thi Ky Duyen and Nguyen Dac Trung Huy.
• Best Paper Award (Track 3): “Examining Wash Trading in NFT Collections: Case of Two Collections” by Emmanuel Lance Christopher Vi Plan, Doan Binh Minh Do, Pham Xuan Trung, Le Khanh Linh Vu, and Nguyen Thi Hang Nga.

As DeFi 2025 came to a close, the conference left a strong impression as a prestigious international academic forum where knowledge was effectively connected, disseminated, and transformed into scientific and practical values serving the development of the digital economy and financial technology innovation. The success of DeFi 2025 continued to affirm VKU’s pioneering role in building international-standard academic ecosystems, promoting interdisciplinary and cross-national research collaboration, and enhancing the academic standing of the Central Vietnam region on the global research map. Building on this solid foundation, the Organizing Committee is pleased to announce the Call for Papers for DeFi 2026, inviting scientists, experts, doctoral candidates, and the academic community both domestically and internationally to continue their partnership and contribute high-quality research. Together, they will help expand academic dialogue and co-create innovative solutions for the future of the digital economy and financial technology.

Center for Learning Resource and Communication

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