South Korea advances crypto access for 3,500 companies

South Korea has advanced a three-part digital-finance program covering crypto accounts for about 3,500 companies, legal recognition for tokenized securities, and deposit-token trials involving nine banks. Summary About 3,500 listed companies and professional investors are eligible for South Korea’s corporate crypto pilot. Tokenized-securities laws were passed in January and will take effect in February 2027. Project Hangang Phase II has expanded deposit-token testing from seven banks to nine. Deposit tokens will support government payments, AI-agent transactions and tokenized-asset settlement. FACTBLOCK CEO and Korea Blockchain Week organizer Andrew Park said South Korea’s crypto market is moving away from its long reliance on retail trading as financial institutions focus on custody, tokenization, stablecoins, settlement systems and regulatory compliance. The change covers three connected areas of financial activity. Corporate investors are preparing to enter the crypto market under Financial Services Commission rules, securities firms are building systems for tokenized assets, and the Bank of Korea is testing digital bank deposits that can carry programmable payment conditions. S...