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Woofun AI reports that Korean financial giants and internet platforms are deploying institutional blockchain infrastructure to counter a $115 billion capital outflow driven by USDC usage. While retail interest cools, entities like KB Financial and Hana Financial are executing pilot projects to establish regulated won-based stablecoin ecosystems. The immediate objective is to reclaim domestic liquidity by replacing cross-border reliance on foreign stablecoins with local alternatives.
KB Financial demonstrated the viability of this approach by completing a trusted stablecoin payment pilot at Hollys Coffee and establishing a cross-border remittance channel to Vietnam. This initiative reduced transfer times to under 3 minutes and cut costs by 87% compared to the SWIFT network. Similarly, Hana Financial invested in Dunamu and formed a stablecoin alliance to test cross-border remittances on the GIWA public chain, while also launching a USDC payment pilot for foreign tourists. NH Rural Bank and NHN KCP are developing merchant settlement solutions, and KBank has partnered with Ripple to build wallet and remittance services.
Shinhan Card is collaborating with the SOL Foundation to construct underlying infrastructure for physical stablecoin payments, . BC Card concluded a two-month pilot enabling foreign tourists to make offline purchases via stablecoins, integrating these transactions directly into credit card authorization and liquidation systems. Danal issued the won-pegged stablecoin KSC and joined the Circle alliance, further diversifying the available options for institutional adoption.
In the real-world assets (RWA) sector, Korean efforts span real estate, bonds, gold, carbon credits, and short-term debts, with Future Asset and Hanwha leading investments. Hanwha plans to launch a tokenized securities platform for ordinary users by mid-2026, capitalizing on legislative changes made by the South Korean National Assembly in early 2026. These revisions to the Capital Market Act and Electronic Securities Act clarify issuance rules for securities-based tokens, with full implementation scheduled for early 2027.
Platforms such as NXT, backed by Shinhan Investment Securities and Hana Securities, alongside KDX, have secured preliminary approval to operate tokenized securities trading systems under the new regulatory framework.
Woofun AI data shows that internet platforms are equally active, with NAVER acquiring Dunamu to integrate Upbit with Naver Pay, pending regulatory approval. Kakao is advancing won-based stablecoin development for a unified wallet system, while Toss registered 24 trademarks and established an independent blockchain department to potentially build its own public chain.
The trajectory of the U.S. "CLARITY Act" remains a critical reference point for South Korean regulators shaping these policies. This coordinated push by banks and tech firms marks a definitive shift from retail speculation to building a compliant, institutional-grade digital asset economy. The convergence of legislative clarity and corporate execution suggests a mature market structure emerging by 2027.