Vietnam’s ‘Shark Tank’ Star Arrested Over AntEx Crypto Project Investigation

Hanoi police have arrested Nguyen Hoa Binh, better known as Shark Binh, the chairman of NextTech Group and a well-known investor from Shark Tank Vietnam, as part of an expanding investigation into the AntEx cryptocurrency ￰0￱ Takeaways: Vietnam’s Shark Tank star Nguyen Hoa Binh has been arrested in connection with the AntEx crypto ￰1￱ have launched a multi-division investigation after investor complaints. Binh’s reputation has collapsed as his company NextTech faces scrutiny and major financial ￰2￱ city’s Criminal Investigation Department confirmed on October 14 that it had initiated legal proceedings and issued a temporary detention order following multiple complaints from ￰3￱ Police Expand Probe into AntEx Crypto Project Authorities said AntEx, a crypto project linked to Binh, is at the center of the probe, with police divisions including the Criminal Police, Economic Police, and Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Division ￰4￱ October 6, a local investor reported losing about $2,000 in AntEx, prompting a broader inquiry into potential fraud and other ￰5￱ have called on anyone with information to come forward as they verify the scale of investor losses and the roles of those ￰6￱ arrest shocked Vietnam’s technology and startup ￰7￱ hailed as a tech visionary, Binh built NextTech Group, a multi-sector conglomerate spanning fintech, e-commerce, logistics, and blockchain, from modest beginnings in ￰8￱ became a household name for his candid and often blunt feedback on Shark Tank Vietnam, earning a reputation for phrases like “Please, don’t be high on your own numbers” and “Without your ‘dragon vein,’ you’re grounded.” NextTech, once dubbed “Vietnam’s Alibaba,” reached a charter capital of $20.4 million in 2020, with Binh holding a 70% stake.

Ngày 10/10, Cơ quan Cảnh sát điều tra Công an TP Hà Nội ra quyết định khởi tố vụ án, khởi tố bị can đối với Nguyễn Hòa Bình và 9 người khác về tội danh Lừa đảo chiếm đoạt tài sản quy định tại Điều 174 Bộ luật hình sự và tội danh Vi phạm quy định về… ￰9￱ — Nông dân Crypto (@nongdan_crypto_) October 14, 2025 However, filings show that by late 2023, its capital had dropped sharply to around $163,000, and several of its subsidiaries, including the payment platform Ngan Luong, reported significant ￰10￱ positioned itself as part of a decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem offering token-based financial ￰11￱ was reportedly both an advisor and investor, but after the project’s token value crashed and its website went offline, he claimed he had been ￰12￱ AntEx team countered that Binh had played a more direct role than he ￰13￱ a series of posts before his arrest, Binh warned of the risks surrounding unregulated crypto projects, saying most lack practical utility and are prone to ￰14￱ Eyes Vietnam as Next Key Market As reported, stablecoin issuer Tether is exploring partnerships with Vietnamese companies to expand crypto adoption in the ￰15￱ President Marco Dal Lago called Vietnam one of Tether’s most “promising and strategic markets,” citing its youthful population, fast-growing economy, and high remittance volumes as strong fundamentals for digital asset ￰16￱ a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc, Lago said Tether is ready to share its global expertise in building legal frameworks that support sustainable crypto transactions and economic ￰17￱ Deputy PM emphasized Vietnam’s ambition to create a professional, well-regulated investment environment and attract international ￰18￱ confirmed that Vietnam has launched a five-year pilot program for crypto trading, limited to domestic companies selling tokens to foreign ￰19￱ are now reviewing applications and plan to license around five major trading platforms, requiring each to maintain 10 trillion dong ($379 million) in capital.