KB Kookmin Card and SBI Holdings separately explore AI identity checks and crypto payments

South Korea’s KB Kookmin Card and Japan’s SBI Holdings plan to test identity verification powered by artificial intelligence. They also plan to explore crypto as a payment option for Japanese tourists. Neither company has published a formal announcement detailing how the arrangement would work. So, for now, this is a plan to test, not a product you can use on your next trip to Seoul. What the two firms plan to try The idea has two parts. The first uses AI to confirm a customer is who they claim to be. The second part looks at crypto as a way for Japanese visitors to pay for things. Cross-border card payments usually involve currency conversion, foreign transaction fees, and several intermediaries taking a cut along the way. Crypto rails, particularly stablecoins, promise to shrink that chain. A stablecoin is a digital token pegged to a traditional currency, so its value is meant to stay put rather than swing wildly. KB Kookmin Card has been busy By late September 2026, it had completed a real-world stablecoin payment pilot at CU convenience stores. The test ran transactions over blockchain infrastructure instead of the usual card processing network. In September 2026, KB Kookmin Ca...