Three Samsung affiliates — Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS, and Samsung Card — have agreed to buy a combined 4% stake in Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's largest crypto exchange Upbit, for approximately 613 billion Korean won ($408 million). The shares were previously held by tech giant Kakao.
Under the deal, Samsung Securities will take a 2% stake, while Samsung SDS and Samsung Card each get 1%. The investment adds another heavyweight corporate investor to South Korea's fast-growing digital asset market.
Tokenized Securities, AI Cloud, and Payment Ecosystem
Samsung Securities plans to collaborate with Dunamu on tokenized securities issuance and digital asset distribution, strengthening its regulated blockchain finance position. Samsung SDS aims to combine Dunamu's blockchain expertise with its own AI and cloud operations to improve security and enterprise data management. Samsung Card is preparing a digital asset payment ecosystem via its Monimo financial app, positioning ahead of South Korea's upcoming stablecoin rules.
Dunamu operates Giwa, an Ethereum Layer-2 testnet. The fresh capital could help push that network toward production, expanding Dunamu's reach beyond the Upbit exchange.
Institutional Rush Before the Regulatory Wave
The Samsung deal follows Hana Bank's recent acquisition of a 6.55% stake in Dunamu for nearly 1 trillion won. Dunamu is also reportedly in merger talks with Naver Financial. Mirae Asset earlier this year announced plans to take a controlling stake in the crypto exchange Korbit. KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank continue testing stablecoin and tokenized payment systems with blockchain firms.
South Korean lawmakers are drafting the Digital Asset Basic Act, which will set rules for stablecoins, tokenized securities, and broader crypto operations. Major corporations and banks are accelerating their blockchain moves before the framework is finalized. Samsung's $408 million bet underscores that digital assets are no longer an experiment for Korea's traditional financial giants — they are a strategic priority.