South Korea’s crypto market is moving away from a retail trading-led model and toward institutional digital finance, according to Andrew Park, CEO of Factblock and organizer of Korea Blockchain Week. Park said the focus of global financial institutions and companies has shifted from tokens, exchanges, and price action to custody, tokenization, stablecoins, payment and settlement infrastructure, and regulatory compliance. On the policy side, South Korea’s Financial Services Commission has proposed a framework that would open corporate virtual asset accounts to about 3,500 listed companies and registered professional investors. At the legislative level, the National Assembly has passed amendments to the Electronic Securities Act and the Capital Markets Act, placing tokenized real-world assets and security tokens under a unified legal framework. Park also pointed to central bank progress, saying the Bank of Korea has completed an initial pilot for Project Hangang, a real-world deposit token initiative, and plans to begin a second phase of institutional testing by the end of 2026. Related technical experiments have already used wholesale deposit tokens to let AI agents execute automated conditional trades.
South Korea’s crypto market is shifting from retail-driven trading to institutional digital finance, according to Andrew Park, CEO of Factblock and organizer of Korea Blockchain Week.
Focus moves beyond tokens and exchanges
Park said the attention of global financial institutions and companies has moved away from tokens, exchanges, and prices. He said the emphasis is now on custody, tokenization, stablecoins, payment and settlement infrastructure, and regulatory compliance.
Corporate virtual asset account framework proposed
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission has proposed a framework that would open corporate virtual asset accounts to about 3,500 listed companies and registered professional investors.
Legal amendments place tokenized assets under one framework
South Korea’s National Assembly has formally passed amendments to the Electronic Securities Act and the Capital Markets Act. The changes bring tokenized real-world assets and security tokens into a unified legal framework.
Bank of Korea prepares second-stage testing
The Bank of Korea has completed an initial pilot for Project Hangang, a real-world deposit token project, and plans to launch a second phase of institutional testing by the end of 2026. Related technical experiments have used wholesale deposit tokens to allow AI agents to carry out automated conditional trades.
This article was originally published by Bit.Fan. For more cryptocurrency news and market insights, visit www.bit.fan. Disclaimer:
The market information, project data, and third-party content displayed on this platform are for industry information sharing only and do not constitute any form of investment advice or return commitment.
Cryptocurrency trading carries high risks. Users should fully assess their risk tolerance and make independent decisions. All profits, losses, and legal responsibilities are borne by the users themselves.
