🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Kyobo’s move into tokenization has been years in the making

• The partnership follows earlier work between Kyobo Life Insurance Group and Japan’s SBI Group, a financial services company, on digital finance and technology efforts such as tokenization and security tokens 1.
• Ripple Custody already operates in South Korea through a partnership with digital asset custodian BDACS, a South Korean company that stores digital assets for institutions, which supports institutional access to XRP and Ripple USD (RLUSD), Ripple’s stablecoin 2.
• Ripple has expanded in South Korea over several years through deals with remittance companies Sentbe, Hanpass, and WireBarley, which use RippleNet, Ripple’s cross-border payments network 3.

South Korea’s new laws create a regulated market for tokenized securities

• The partnership comes as South Korea rolls out legislation that sets rules for issuing and trading tokenized securities, which covers debt instruments such as bonds 4.
• The laws are scheduled to take effect in January 2027 5.
• Ripple and Kyobo gain a path into a market that Boston Consulting Group, a global consulting firm, expects could reach about 367 trillion won (US$249 billion) in South Korea by 2030 6.
• Other South Korean financial firms, such as Mirae Asset Securities and Hana Financial Group, have announced platform work ahead of the new rules 6.