South Korean fintech platform Toss is moving deeper into digital asset infrastructure, with plans that could eventually reshape how one of the country’s largest financial super apps operates. According to an April 6, 2026 report cited by regional outlet Blockmedia, Viva Republica, the company behind Toss, is developing a proprietary blockchain mainnet and a native cryptocurrency designed to connect its payments, banking, and securities businesses under a more programmable financial architecture.
The initiative matters because of Toss’s scale. The platform serves roughly 30 million registered users, representing close to 60% of South Korea’s population. Across its ecosystem, Toss already operates services including Toss Bank, Toss Securities, and Toss Payments. If the company succeeds in extending that stack onto blockchain rails, it could gain greater control over transaction fees, product logic, governance decisions, and service development than it would by relying entirely on external public networks.
L1 or L2: A Strategic Decision Still in Progress
One of the biggest unresolved questions is technical architecture. Blockmedia reported that Toss is considering two approaches: building a full layer one blockchain from the ground up, or launching a layer two network on top of an established chain. The distinction is more than technical. A standalone L1 would offer deeper sovereignty over infrastructure and rule-setting, while an L2 could let Toss move faster by leveraging the security and ecosystem of an existing base layer.
Internal deliberations are reportedly still ongoing, and the final call may depend in part on South Korea’s regulatory direction. Specifically, the progress of the country’s pending Digital Asset Basic Law appears to be influencing how aggressively Toss can define its blockchain roadmap. Until there is greater legal clarity, the company seems to be preserving flexibility rather than locking itself into a single model.
That caution is consistent with the broader environment in South Korea, where policymakers are still shaping the rules for token issuance, stablecoins, and digital asset-based financial services. For a mainstream fintech company already deeply embedded in regulated financial products, infrastructure choices cannot be separated from compliance strategy.
Stablecoin Preparation Began Before the Mainnet Decision
Even though the chain design is not finalized, Toss appears to have moved early on stablecoin branding and internal organization. A dedicated Stablecoin Task Force, led by Chief Business Officer Kyuha Kim, has already been established inside the company. In June 2025, Toss filed trademarks for 24 Korean won stablecoin names, including “TOSSKRW”.
Those filings suggest the company is not merely experimenting with blockchain as a side project. Instead, it is exploring how tokenized Korean won products could become part of a broader financial platform strategy. In practical terms, stablecoins could support payments, settlement, remittances, treasury functions, or tokenized asset flows, depending on what regulators ultimately permit.
Still, trademark filings should not be confused with issuance approval. The report made clear that South Korea’s current trade settlement and foreign exchange rules complicate stablecoin deployment, and the country has yet to enact the Digital Asset Basic Law. That means Toss can prepare product structures, internal teams, and intellectual property, but commercialization will remain tied to regulatory readiness.
In-App Web3 Wallet Signals Consumer-Facing Ambitions
Beyond backend infrastructure, Toss has also confirmed that it is developing a Web3 wallet that will be integrated directly into the existing app rather than distributed as a separate download. This is a meaningful detail. By embedding wallet functionality into a familiar financial interface, Toss could lower the friction that typically keeps mainstream users away from crypto and tokenized finance.
According to the report, the wallet is expected to support virtual asset storage, transfers, payments, and the management of tokenized securities. That points to a broader ambition than simple coin custody. If executed successfully, the wallet could become a bridge between traditional app-based finance and blockchain-native services, all within the same super app experience.
Toss has also been actively hiring to support that vision. Since February 2026, the company has reportedly recruited blockchain engineers for roles related to wallet systems, APIs, transaction processing, node operations, cryptographic signing, and financial compliance. These hiring categories indicate preparation across both user-facing products and underlying infrastructure.
“Money 3.0” and Programmable Financial Services
At the 2026 Seoul Blockchain Meetup Conference in March, Corporate Development Director Seo Chang-whoon outlined the company’s “Money 3.0” framework. The concept centers on programmable money enabled by smart contracts, borderless financial services operating without conventional restrictions tied to geography, currency, or time, and a stablecoin issuance and distribution model connected to real financial use cases.
One proof-of-concept highlighted during the presentation linked Toss’s SohoScore small-business credit model with smart contracts for automated lending. That example is important because it illustrates how Toss may be thinking beyond basic token transfers. The company appears to be exploring how blockchain infrastructure could support the logic of financial products themselves, including lending workflows, credit access, and potentially asset servicing.
Owning its own blockchain environment could give Toss more room to design fees, execution rules, and service conditions around those applications. Rather than adapting products to someone else’s network economics or governance changes, the company could shape a purpose-built framework aligned with its own business priorities.
Why Proprietary Infrastructure Matters
Analysts cited in the report framed infrastructure control as one of the central advantages of the project. Professor Seokjin Hwang of Dongguk University said independent infrastructure reduces dependence on external systems and improves scalability for business operations. Seungik Yoon of Tiger Research added that a custom L2 built on a proven network could accelerate tokenization efforts.
That debate captures the trade-off clearly. A greenfield L1 offers autonomy but likely demands more time, capital, and ecosystem-building. A tailored L2 may provide a more practical route to launch while still allowing Toss to optimize the user experience and product stack around its own needs. For a regulated fintech company with millions of users, that balance between sovereignty and speed may prove decisive.
Competition Is Building in Korea’s Blockchain Infrastructure Race
Toss is not entering an empty field. Other major South Korean crypto-linked players are also developing proprietary chain infrastructure. Dunamu, the operator of Upbit, is working on Kiwachain, an Ethereum-based L2 network. Meanwhile, Hashed is advancing Maru, an L1 project focused on Korean won stablecoins.
What distinguishes Toss is its existing reach in mainstream finance. Unlike many crypto-native players that first need to acquire users, Toss already has a large consumer base, multiple regulated financial products, and a super app distribution model. If regulatory conditions become more favorable, that could translate into a faster path from infrastructure to real end-user adoption.
Regulatory Constraints Remain the Main Bottleneck
For now, regulation remains the limiting factor. South Korea has not yet finalized the Digital Asset Basic Law, and the legal treatment of stablecoin issuance and cross-border financial flows is still evolving. The report noted that Toss has structured its blockchain planning and recruitment around compliance readiness, suggesting management understands that legal execution matters as much as technical execution.
The company is also exploring partnerships with KB Financial and Samsung Card as part of its digital asset infrastructure plans, although neither partner has publicly commented on those discussions. If such collaborations develop, they could expand Toss’s access to established banking and card networks while adding credibility to any future tokenized finance rollout.
Strong Financial Position Supports the Push
Toss’s blockchain move is also unfolding from a position of improving business strength. The company reported its first profitable year in 2024, with consolidated revenue reaching 1.956 trillion Korean won, or about $1.4 billion, up 43% year over year. It is also targeting a U.S. IPO in 2026 at a valuation above $10 billion.
That context matters because building blockchain infrastructure is expensive, long-term, and strategically sensitive. A profitable operating base gives Toss more room to invest in engineering, compliance, and product development without framing the initiative as a speculative standalone crypto bet.
What Comes Next
At this stage, Toss has not announced a launch date or released technical specifications for its proposed network. The project remains in the planning and evaluation phase, with the next milestone likely tied to both internal architecture decisions and external legal clarity.
Still, the broad direction is now visible. Toss is assembling the components of a Web3 financial stack: a possible proprietary chain, a native token strategy, an in-app wallet, stablecoin branding, smart contract-based financial use cases, and potential institutional partnerships. Whether that stack ultimately launches as an L1, an L2, or in some hybrid form, the company is clearly positioning itself for a future in which digital asset infrastructure becomes part of mainstream financial distribution in South Korea.