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According to TokenPost, Park Seung-jin, head of the Digital Asset Strategy Department at Korea Investment & Securities, stated in an interview with Yonhap Infomax that the company is preparing to move beyond fragmented investments in the token securities market and enter the tokenization of standardized securities such as stocks and bonds. If regulations allow, the company hopes to leverage its experience as an early entrant in the issuance of notes, IMAs, and other areas to become the first institution to enter this market.Park Seung-jin emphasized that even with significant first-mover advantages in the market, it is essential to prioritize discovering and supplying products that can win customer trust. The company will rely on the capabilities accumulated by its investment banking headquarters, project financing department, and investment products department to provide trustworthy products for investors. The Digital Asset Strategy Department started last year with a special task force and was officially established at the beginning of this year, focusing on token securities, stablecoins, and collaboration with Coinone.Korea Investment & Securities is entering the digital asset market by investing in Coinone shares. Park Seung-jin believes that the virtual asset sector should be led by trading platforms that are more familiar with the business, with both parties collaborating. Current collaboration has begun with providing domestic stock investment information from Korea Investment & Securities in the Coinone app, while simultaneously reviewing internal controls and security. The formal cooperation is expected to commence after the passage of the Digital Asset Basic Law currently under review in the National Assembly. The company is also paying attention to stablecoins, viewing them as a convenient payment method, and is researching solutions for settling other goods.

Mirae Asset, a South Korean financial group, announced the establishment of a digital asset business with a scale of $109 billion. The group will rely on its cryptocurrency exchange Digital X (formerly Korbit) to focus on the layout of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and the tokenization of real assets.

U.S. Republican Senator Bernie Moreno from Ohio urged the U.S. Trade Representative to consider imposing tariffs on South Korea due to its treatment of the American e-commerce company "Coolpeng." Moreno pointed out in his letter that Seoul takes hostile actions against foreign companies, including heavy compliance requirements and biased regulatory enforcement, and requested an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. South Korea denies discriminating against Coolpeng compared to domestic companies.

On August 26, several stocks in the Korean market performed actively. According to the Gate platform's Korean stock market data, E-World (084680) rose by 29.97%, currently priced at $0.43; HanmiGlobal Architects & Engineers (053690) increased by 18.40%, currently priced at $15.25; KEPCO Plant Service & Engineering (130660) saw a rise of 16.22%, currently priced at $9.88.

Citigroup expects that by 2026, the issuance scale of South Korean companies in the global bond and stock markets will reach a record high. Companies are raising growth funds through international investors, with SK Hynix's $26.5 billion U.S. listing being the most prominent. Jangho Park, CEO of Citigroup Global Markets Korea, stated that South Korea has an increasing number of world-class companies and emerging industry leaders, who are increasingly utilizing capital markets with competitive financing conditions to raise funds for their growth objectives.As Citigroup makes this forecast, the two major chip manufacturers in South Korea are becoming the main beneficiaries of global artificial intelligence infrastructure construction. South Korea is seeking to encourage companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, to invest at least 135 trillion won ($975 billion) in chip and data center construction, although many projects are still in the early planning stages.

On August 26, according to the Korea Herald, South Korean cryptocurrency exchange operator Dunamu has been designated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as a "Joint Utilization Agency for Administrative Information," becoming the first cryptocurrency exchange operator in South Korea to obtain this qualification. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety completed on-site inspections and qualification reviews in May of this year and made the designation decision this month.Dunamu plans to use this system for user identity verification (KYC), reducing the process of users repeatedly submitting proof materials by accessing relevant administrative information, thereby improving the efficiency of account opening and account verification.

South Korean artificial intelligence service platform Wrtn Technologies announced the completion of approximately $69 million in Series C financing, with the company's valuation reaching $870 million. This round of financing will primarily be used to drive global market expansion.Coreline Ventures and Eugene Asset Management participated as new investors; existing shareholders Goodwater Capital, Antler Global, Woori Venture Partners, Korea Development Bank, and Capstone Partners continue to provide support.

According to South Korea's Chosun Ilbo, the export prices of DRAM in South Korea continue to soar, with AI-driven HBM production squeezing the supply of ordinary memory. Data shows that from the 1st to the 20th of this month, the export unit price of DRAM from South Korea reached $92,183 per kilogram, a year-on-year increase of 401%, and approximately 12.5 times higher than the low point in January 2023.Goldman Sachs expects the DRAM supply gap to widen from 5.0% this year to 5.9% next year, believing that the HBM required for AI servers and high-capacity server DRAM are absorbing limited production capacity, leading to further tightening of ordinary DRAM supply, with shortages potentially lasting until 2028. TrendForce predicts that by the end of next year, the wafer input for HBM production by Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron will account for 30% of the total DRAM wafer input, but HBM will only account for about 13% of the actual DRAM bit supply.Memory manufacturers warn that the supply tightness of DRAM and NAND driven by AI demand may continue until after 2027. SK Hynix stated that from the supply side, 2027 could become the most severe shortage year in the history of the memory industry.

As investor enthusiasm for AI trading cools and regulators strengthen measures to curb demand, leveraged ETFs linked to chip manufacturers in South Korea have seen nearly $1 billion in outflows this month. So far, leveraged products tracking Samsung Electronics have experienced outflows of $381 million in August, while related products tracking SK Hynix have seen outflows of $601 million, marking the first monthly outflow for these products since their launch at the end of May.Especially during the global AI trading sell-off in July, when the South Korean Kospi index experienced a historic plunge, with a monthly decline of 22%. Subsequently, South Korean regulators raised the minimum margin requirements for new investors purchasing such products and required investors to undergo a 5-day simulated trading period.

Jeonbuk Bank has partnered with blockchain payment company Ripple to deploy its cross-border payment system, providing faster and cheaper remittance services for business clients such as import and export companies, tech startups, and online content creators, replacing the traditional transfer method that takes several days via the SWIFT network.Meanwhile, the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) has opened the application portal for crypto licenses. Companies providing virtual asset services on or before March 5 must submit a No Objection Certificate (NOC) application by September 5, or they will cease operations. PVARA stated that the licensing window is officially open, providing a clear path for businesses to enter Pakistan's regulated virtual asset market.In addition, Laser Digital, a digital asset subsidiary of Nomura Group in Japan, has received approval from the Financial Services Agency (FSA) to become the first platform to obtain a crypto exchange license in four years, the last being Binance Japan in October 2022.

According to the Chosun Ilbo, in the context of the U.S. government increasing pressure on investment in South Korea, the U.S. has recently made demands to the South Korean government and companies to build storage semiconductor production facilities in the U.S. and ensure a stable supply of storage chips. In response to South Korea's promotion of a 800 trillion won semiconductor cluster plan, the U.S. has also informally expressed dissatisfaction, believing that South Korea is actively supporting domestic semiconductor investments while showing a negative attitude towards investing in the U.S. This is the first time the U.S. has mentioned the South Korean government's "super project" while pressuring for investment.Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang also discussed related matters during his recent visit to the U.S. for investment negotiations. The South Korean government believes that the U.S. semiconductor investment demands are independent of the previously agreed $350 billion investment arrangement with the U.S., and plans to announce its first investment project in the U.S. in September. Domestic semiconductor companies are concerned that if they formally accept the U.S. request to establish factories while promoting the Hunan cluster, it may create a dual burden. Additionally, it is reported that Foreign Minister Park Jin spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio that evening to exchange views on investments in the U.S. and bilateral relations.

According to The Block, South Korea's top financial regulator has stated that it will accelerate discussions on cryptocurrency-related legislation and plans to launch the country's version of the "Basic Law on Digital Assets" this fall.The bill is expected to establish corresponding rules regarding stablecoin issuance, licensing for virtual asset service providers (VASP), Bitcoin ETFs, and other matters.

According to Bloomberg, South Korea's financial regulatory authorities plan to strengthen the regulation of structured products such as ELS starting next month. They will require brokerages to warn investors when products approach the principal loss trigger line (Knock-in) and to reassess product design and sales when market conditions lead to a significant increase in risk.It is reported that the South Korean stock market has recently experienced significant fluctuations, but retail investors' enthusiasm for high-risk investments has not noticeably cooled. After regulatory tightening on leveraged ETFs for individual stocks, some investments have shifted to stock-linked securities (ELS) that offer high "coupon" rates. Data released by the Korea Financial Investment Association shows that in July, the sales volume of ELS in South Korea reached 35 trillion won, setting a new high in over three years since April 2023, with ELS products based on Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix stocks becoming the main drivers of growth.

The Financial Supervisory Service of Korea submitted data to the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee today, revealing that as of the end of July, the five major virtual asset exchanges in Korea have registered a total of 6,590 corporate accounts. Bithumb has the highest number of registered corporate accounts, reaching 3,280; the accounts under Upbit operator Dunamu total 2,086. The two major exchanges account for a total of 5,366 corporate accounts, making up 81.4% of the total. In addition, Korbit has 620, Coinone has 539, and Gopax has 65.

According to a report by the Korean News Agency, the Financial Supervisory Service of Korea submitted data to the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee, revealing that as of the end of July, the five major virtual asset exchanges in Korea (Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Digital Asset Exchange, Gopax) have registered a total of 6,590 corporate accounts.In terms of the distribution of exchanges, Bithumb has the highest number of registered corporate accounts, reaching 3,280; the operator of Upbit, Dunamu, has 2,086 accounts. The two major exchanges account for a total of 5,366 corporate accounts, which is 81.4% of the total. Additionally, Korbit has 620, Coinone has 539, and Gopax has 65.In terms of compliance, there are a total of 711 corporate accounts that have completed customer identity verification (KYC), accounting for 10.8% of all corporate accounts. Among them, Upbit has the most with 290; Bithumb has 199, Korbit has 184, and Coinone and Gopax have 33 and 5, respectively. In terms of the scale of virtual asset holdings, Korean corporate accounts hold approximately 43.377 billion Korean won (about 31.2 million USD), with Upbit having the highest share, holding approximately 27.08 billion Korean won, accounting for 62.4% of the total; Bithumb holds about 6.29 billion Korean won, and Coinone holds about 5.15 billion Korean won. The deposit scale of corporate accounts is approximately 9.13 billion Korean won.

The Korea Exchange (KRX) plans to launch a new type of securities market on November 16, where assets such as artworks, real estate, and music copyrights can be traded through securities accounts like stocks.It is reported that the Korea Exchange is currently advancing the construction of the relevant trading system and the preparation of market participants, and will conduct a 6-week simulation trading period from October 6 to November 13. The official opening time may be adjusted based on the approval progress of the listed products by financial regulatory agencies.After the market opens, investors can buy and sell through securities company accounts, with trading hours consistent with the stock market. Analysts believe that the securities token offering (STO) industry in the Korean market is at a significant turning point. Although the new type of securities to be listed and traded in November will temporarily adopt traditional electronic securities methods for issuance and registration, tokenized securities based on blockchain distributed ledger issuance and management will gradually be implemented after the relevant laws are officially enacted in February 2027.

Factblock CEO and Korea Blockchain Week organizer Andrew Park stated that the South Korean crypto market is shifting from retail-driven trading to institutional digital finance. The focus of global financial institutions and enterprises has shifted from tokens, exchanges, and prices to custody, tokenization, stablecoins, payment settlement infrastructure, and regulatory compliance.The South Korean Financial Services Commission has proposed a framework to open corporate virtual asset accounts to approximately 3,500 listed companies and registered professional investors. The South Korean National Assembly has officially passed amendments to the Electronic Securities Act and the Capital Markets Act, incorporating tokenized real-world assets and security tokens into a unified legal framework.The Bank of Korea has completed the preliminary trial of the Project Hangang real-world deposit token project and plans to conduct the second phase of institutional testing by the end of 2026. Related technical experiments have utilized wholesale deposit tokens to allow AI agents to execute automated conditional trading.

According to News.bitcoin, the Financial Supervisory Service of South Korea has launched a real-time artificial intelligence platform to detect cryptocurrency price manipulation. One of the core functions of this system is its ability to identify short-term price manipulation by referencing a historical database of known market abuse strategies.The Financial Supervisory Service of South Korea will next expand this system to track cross-exchange capital flows and on-chain blockchain activities.