Daily Observation of the Cryptocurrency Industry: First Digital Partners with South Korea's ITCEN, Targeting $7.2 Billion in Gold RWA and Corporate Stablecoin Settlement
Released on September 10, 2026. The integration of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and compliant stablecoins in Asia has achieved a significant breakthrough. The issuer of the US dollar stablecoin FDUSD, First Digital, announced the signing of a strategic cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the South Korean listed company ITCEN Group to jointly build on-chain financial infrastructure connecting the local RWA market in South Korea with global liquidity. ITCEN plans to promote the on-chain tokenization of 50 tons of gold (approximately 7.2 billion USD) over the next five years, and both parties will also explore FDUSD enterprise-level clearing scenarios and accelerate First Digital's compliant licensing implementation in South Korea.
Strong Collaboration: Connecting Korean Physical Gold Assets with Global Dollar Liquidity
Against the backdrop of accelerated institutionalization of digital assets in Asia, the deep binding of quality hard assets and compliant fiat-backed stablecoins has become the key to breaking the deadlock.
The issuer of the dollar stablecoin FDUSD, First Digital, has officially reached a strategic cooperation with the Korean technology and financial holding listed company ITCEN Group. The core goal of the MOU signed by both parties is to leverage their respective moats in compliant stablecoin issuance and local precious metal digitization to build an on-chain highway connecting the Korean RWA market with global liquidity, completely breaking the geographical barriers and foreign exchange friction of traditional gold trading.
Gold On-Chain Blueprint: Tokenizing 50 Tons of Gold in 5 Years, Cross-Chain Standards Empowering Liquidity
On the specific asset side, both parties plan to launch ambitious large-scale operations:
KGLD Asset Interconnectivity: The cooperation will prioritize promoting seamless liquidity integration between FDUSD and KGLD, a digital asset fully backed by real physical gold under ITCEN. KGLD utilizes the LayerZero omnichain fungible token (OFT) standard, allowing global compliant investors to conveniently and compliantly allocate to regulated gold token assets in Korea using stablecoins through trading and exchange integration with FDUSD;
$7.2 Billion Asset Reserve: ITCEN has clearly announced plans to gradually promote the on-chain issuance of up to 50 tons of physical gold over the next 5 years, corresponding to a net asset value scale of approximately 10 trillion Korean Won (about $7.2 billion), which is expected to become the largest compliant on-chain commodity tokenization benchmark in the Asia-Pacific region.
Scenario and Infrastructure Extension: Empowering Cross-Border Settlement for Enterprises, Establishing a Korean Branch in Q4
In addition to precious metal tokenization, the cooperation between both parties further extends to physical settlement and local compliance:
B2B Settlement and AI Payment Network: Both parties will deeply explore practical business settlement use cases of FDUSD among multinational enterprises (B2B) and accelerate the on-chain circulation of various physical assets and receivables through the AI-driven payment layer Prism and the finance ecosystem focused on digital assets, Finance District;
Localization Layout and Institutional Integration: First Digital has officially disclosed plans to establish a branch in Korea in the fourth quarter of 2026. This move aims to deeply participate in and cooperate with the Korean regulatory authorities in advancing the legislative and institutional processes for stablecoins, ensuring that business fully meets the prudent requirements of Korean financial authorities regarding cross-border capital and stablecoin issuance compliance.
RWA Tokenization Enters the "Sovereign-Level Hard Asset" Deep Water Zone
Based on the strategic trends in the Asia-Pacific Web3 market in mid-September, the alliance between First Digital and ITCEN reflects a significant evolution in the asset tokenization narrative. RWA is no longer limited to single government bond yield tokens but is accelerating its penetration into physical gold, which possesses both hedging properties and global liquidity. By weaving together billions of dollars of physical assets, cross-chain interoperability protocols (LayerZero OFT), and compliant circulating stablecoins, institutions not only grant 24/7 programmable liquidity to physical precious metals but also open up a new paradigm for the landing of digital assets with high efficiency and legal penetration in traditional foreign trade and cross-border settlement systems.
Source: https://bbx.com/ Cryptocurrency Concept Stock Information Database, compiled based on yesterday's announcements from global listed companies and SEC/TSE disclosure documents.
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