POSCO International issued Korea's first non-financial blockchain digital bond (about 1.4 trillion KRW) with HSBC as lead underwriter, cutting settlement to three days. Abstract: POSCO International issued a blockchain-based digital bond in a private placement of about 1.4 trillion KRW, with HSBC as sole lead underwriter, marking the first such issue by a South Korean non-financial company and the second digital bond in the country after Mirae Asset Securities. The bond uses blockchain for issuance, registration, trading, and settlement, offering enhanced security, faster settlement, and broader global investor access (three-day settlement vs. five). This follows POSCO’s prior blockchain-based payment system deployment and aligns with Hong Kong's subsidy program to promote digital bonds. POSCO and HSBC plan further collaboration in blockchain, digital finance, and transformation, including potential STO market participation.

Gate News message, April 21 — A South Korea-based cryptocurrency exchange announced the listing of BASED token on its spot trading platform, with trading against the South Korean won (KRW). Deposit and withdrawal operations are scheduled to begin approximately one hour after the announcement, with t

Gate News message, April 21——A certain CEX has launched a Story (IP) re-staking product, adding it to the list of existing staking assets such as 15 assets including ETH, SOL, TRX, and more. The incentive campaign will run from April 21 to 27, with a total prize pool of 200 million KRW. $IP is the native token of the Story protocol. Story positions itself as an AI-focused on-chain IP infrastructure, supporting IP registration for datasets, models, and AI-generated content, programmable licensing, and automated revenue distribution.

Shin Hyun-song, nominated as Bank of Korea governor, discussed the future coexistence of Korean won stablecoins at a parliamentary hearing. He emphasized plans to enhance the digital currency ecosystem, including Project Hangang Phase 2 and participation in the Agora project for cross-border payments.

NXC’s merger audit report shows that as of the end of 2025, its crypto asset holdings were 147.6 billion South Korean won, down 15.2% from the previous year. NXC has sold a stake in a certain exchange and decided to dispose of all its shares in Korbit, while also acquiring the European company CLI Group through its subsidiary to advance business diversification.

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire plans to visit South Korea in April to meet with executives from multiple banks and exchanges to discuss USDC use cases, international payments cooperation, and its KRW stablecoin plans, with the goal of expanding USDC’s use in the Korean market.

The parent company of a South Korean CEX released its 2025 performance report, showing declines in both revenue and profit. Operating revenue was 15.6 trillion won, a year-on-year decrease of 10%, and net profit was 708.9 billion won, a year-on-year decline of 27.9%. The drop in performance was mainly due to the global economic downturn and a decrease in trading volume in the cryptocurrency market.

BlockBeats News, March 26 — According to official sources, Upbit has added Katana Network (KAT), supporting KRW, USDT, and BTC trading pairs.

Gate News reported that on March 19, influenced by news of a certain exchange launching ETHFI/KRW trading pair, ETHFI surged 20% in a short period and is now trading at $0.594.