Crypto Push In Korea: Hana Financial And Standard Chartered Unveil New Deal

bitcoinist2026-03-16 tarihinde yayınlandı2026-03-16 tarihinde güncellendi

Özet

One of South Korea's largest financial groups, Hana Financial, has partnered with UK-based Standard Chartered to strengthen cooperation in global finance and crypto assets. The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on March 15, aiming to develop stablecoins and digital assets as new growth drivers alongside their traditional banking operations. The agreement covers areas including stablecoins, deposit tokens, and tokenized financial instruments. Hana’s Chairman, Ham Young-joo, emphasized the importance of building a comprehensive ecosystem for won-denominated stablecoins, from issuance to circulation. Standard Chartered’s CEO, Bill Winters highlighted South Korea’s key role in Asian financial markets. This partnership reflects a broader trend among major Korean banks to develop regulated digital asset infrastructure—such as stablecoins and tokenized bonds—rather than focusing on retail crypto speculation. Both institutions have prior experience in the digital asset space, with Hana having established a crypto custody venture and Standard Chartered actively involved in tokenization projects and stablecoin initiatives in Asia.

One of the largest South Korean financial conglomerates has partenerd up with a major UK-based global bank to deepen cooperation in global finance and crypto assets.

A Transnational Crypto Deal

Incumbents are keen not to be left behind on the crypto curve, so much so that some of them are now joining forces. That seems to be the case for Hana Financial Group and Standard Chartered Group as on March 15^th they announced the signing of a MOU (memorandum of understanding). By teaming up, the two lenders aim to turn stablecoins and other digital assets into a new growth engine alongside their existing international banking business.

Chairman Ham of Han Financial Group and Bill Winters, CEO of Standard Chartered Group, at the signing ceremony in Seoul. Source: Seoul Economic Daily.

According to The Korea Times, the signing ceremony took place at Hana’s Bank’s headquarters on March 13^th. It was attended by Ham Young-joo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group, and Bill Winters, CEO of Standard Chartered Group. Seoul Economic Daily reports that Ham and Winters exchanged views on cooperation in global and digital assets. Chairman Ham stated that:

The partnership between Hana Financial Group and Standard Chartered Group, leveraging their extensive global networks and diverse financial know-how, will serve as a strong competitive edge in the global financial sector. We will create new growth opportunities by generating synergies in future financial domains, including digital assets.

Winters emphasized on the capital importance that South Korea has in Asian financial markets, regarding the country as a “key hub”.

Shared Goals

The MOU covers stablecoins, deposit-token experiments, and future tokenized instruments, tying in Hana’s domestic stablecoin plans and pilots.

The Seoul Economic Daily contextualizes this move with Chairman Ham views of stablecoins as “core future business”. His goal with Hana Financial points to the building of an “ecosystem encompassing the issuance, distribution, use and circulation of (won-denominated stable) coins”, as he stated in his New Year’s address in January. In 2024, Hana Bank, BitGo, and SK Telecom set up BitGo Korea as the local arm focused on institutional crypto custody. In 2025, the Korean lender had an all-time high net profit of ₩4 trillion.

Chairman Ham and Bill Winters at Hana’s Bank’s headquarters, Source: Seoul Economic Daily.

Standard Chartered already has a growing crypto footprint, from institutional custody services to pilots with tokenized bonds and other blockchain-based assets. The bank has also backed several stablecoin ventures in markets like Hong Kong.

This is not the first time Hana Bank and Standard Chartered team up. In December 2025, the UK-based global bank announced that it was facilitating Hana Securities first venture with digital assets.

A Crypto Race

Instead of chasing pure spot exposure, the South Korea’s big banks are now racing to build compliant rails around stablecoins, tokenized notes, and digital bonds that can plug directly into the regulated financial system, nudging the market away from retail speculation toward more structured corporate and banking participation.

This new deal marks another milestone in the latest wave of efforts by TradFi institutions to keep up with a rapidly evolving digital financial system.

BTC’s price trends to the upside on the daily chart, reaching the $73K. Source: BTCUSD on Tradingview

Cover image from Perplexity, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview

İlgili Sorular

QWhat is the main purpose of the partnership between Hana Financial Group and Standard Chartered Group?

AThe partnership aims to deepen cooperation in global finance and crypto assets, turning stablecoins and other digital assets into a new growth engine alongside their existing international banking business.

QWhen and where did the signing ceremony of the MOU between Hana Financial Group and Standard Chartered take place?

AThe signing ceremony took place on March 13th at Hana Bank's headquarters in Seoul.

QWhat specific areas does the MOU between the two financial institutions cover?

AThe MOU covers stablecoins, deposit-token experiments, and future tokenized instruments, tying in Hana's domestic stablecoin plans and pilots.

QWhat did Chairman Ham of Hana Financial Group identify as a 'core future business' in his New Year's address?

AChairman Ham identified stablecoins as a 'core future business' and expressed his goal to build an ecosystem encompassing the issuance, distribution, use, and circulation of won-denominated stablecoins.

QHow is Standard Chartered Bank involved in the crypto space, according to the article?

AStandard Chartered has a growing crypto footprint, including institutional custody services, pilots with tokenized bonds and other blockchain-based assets, and backing several stablecoin ventures in markets like Hong Kong.

İlgili Okumalar

North Korean Hackers Loot $500 Million in a Single Month, Becoming the Top Threat to Crypto Security

North Korean hackers, particularly the notorious Lazarus Group and its subgroup TraderTraitor, have stolen over $500 million from cryptocurrency DeFi platforms in less than three weeks, bringing their total theft for the year to over $700 million. Recent major attacks on Drift Protocol and KelpDAO, resulting in losses of approximately $286 million and $290 million respectively, highlight a strategic shift: instead of targeting core smart contracts, attackers are now exploiting vulnerabilities in peripheral infrastructure. For instance, the KelpDAO attack involved compromising downstream RPC infrastructure used by LayerZero's decentralized validation network (DVN), allowing manipulation without breaching core cryptography. This sophisticated approach mirrors advanced corporate cyber-espionage. Additionally, North Korea has systematically infiltrated the global crypto workforce, with an estimated 100 operatives using fake identities to gain employment at blockchain companies, enabling long-term access to sensitive systems and facilitating large-scale thefts. According to Chainalysis, North Korean-linked hackers stole a record $2 billion in 2025, accounting for 60% of all global crypto theft that year. Their total historical crypto theft has reached $6.75 billion. Post-theft, they employ specialized money laundering methods, heavily relying on Chinese OTC brokers and cross-chain mixing services rather than standard decentralized exchanges. Security experts, while acknowledging the increased sophistication, emphasize that many attacks still exploit fundamental weaknesses like poor access controls and centralized operational risks. Strengthening private key management, limiting privileged access, and enhancing coordination among exchanges, analysts, and law enforcement immediately after an attack are critical to improving defense and fund recovery chances. The industry's challenge now extends beyond secure smart contracts to safeguarding operational security at the infrastructure level.

marsbit35 dk önce

North Korean Hackers Loot $500 Million in a Single Month, Becoming the Top Threat to Crypto Security

marsbit35 dk önce

Circle CEO's Seoul Visit: No Korean Won Stablecoin Issuance, But Met All Major Korean Banks

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire's recent activities in Seoul indicate a strategic shift for the company, moving away from issuing a Korean won-backed stablecoin and instead focusing on embedding itself as a key infrastructure provider within Korea’s financial and crypto ecosystem. Despite Korea accounting for nearly 30% of global crypto trading volume—with a market characterized by high retail participation and altcoin dominance—Circle has chosen not to compete for the role of stablecoin issuer. Instead, Allaire met with major Korean banks (including Shinhan, KB, and Woori), financial groups, leading exchanges (Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone), and tech firms like Kakao. This approach reflects a broader industry transition: the core of stablecoin competition is shifting from issuance rights to systemic positioning. With Korean regulators still debating whether banks or tech companies should issue stablecoins, Circle is avoiding regulatory uncertainty by strengthening its role as a service and technology partner. The company is deepening integration with trading platforms, building connections, and promoting stablecoin infrastructure. This positions Circle to benefit regardless of which entity eventually issues a won stablecoin. Allaire also noted the potential for a Chinese yuan stablecoin in the next 3–5 years, underscoring a regional trend of stablecoins becoming more regulated and integrated with traditional finance. Ultimately, Circle’s strategy highlights that future influence in the stablecoin market will belong not necessarily to the issuers, but to the foundational infrastructure layers that enable cross-system transactions.

marsbit1 saat önce

Circle CEO's Seoul Visit: No Korean Won Stablecoin Issuance, But Met All Major Korean Banks

marsbit1 saat önce

SpaceX Ties Up with Cursor: A High-Stakes AI Gambit of 'Lock First, Acquire Later'

SpaceX has secured an option to acquire AI programming company Cursor for $60 billion, with an alternative clause requiring a $10 billion collaboration fee if the acquisition does not proceed. This structure is not merely a potential acquisition but a strategic move to control core access points in the AI era. The deal is designed as a flexible, dual-path arrangement, allowing SpaceX to either fully acquire Cursor or maintain a binding partnership through high-cost collaboration. This "option-style" approach minimizes immediate regulatory and integration risks while ensuring long-term alignment between the two companies. At its core, the transaction exchanges critical AI-era resources: SpaceX provides its Colossus supercomputing cluster—one of the world’s most powerful AI training infrastructures—while Cursor contributes its AI-native developer environment and strong product adoption. This synergy connects compute power, models, and application layers, forming a closed-loop AI capability stack. Cursor, founded in 2022, has achieved rapid growth with over $1 billion in annual revenue and widespread enterprise adoption. Its value lies in transforming software development through AI agents capable of coding, debugging, and system design—positioning it as a gateway to future software production. For SpaceX, this move is part of a broader strategy to evolve from a aerospace company into an AI infrastructure empire, integrating xAI, supercomputing, and chip manufacturing. Controlling Cursor fills a gap in its developer tooling layer, strengthening its AI narrative ahead of a potential IPO. The deal reflects a shift in AI competition from model superiority to ecosystem and entry-point control. With programming tools as a key battleground, securing developer loyalty becomes crucial for dominating the software production landscape. Risks include questions around Cursor’s valuation, technical integration challenges, and potential regulatory scrutiny. Nevertheless, the deal underscores a strategic bet: controlling both compute and software development access may redefine power dynamics in the AI-driven future.

marsbit1 saat önce

SpaceX Ties Up with Cursor: A High-Stakes AI Gambit of 'Lock First, Acquire Later'

marsbit1 saat önce

Ripple’s Tokenization Bet: Will XRP Price Explode As It Enters This Trillion-Dollar Industry?

Institutional capital is quietly moving onto the XRP Ledger (XRPL), with over $333 million in tokenized US Treasury products now live from firms like BlackRock-backed Ondo Finance, OpenEden, Guggenheim, and abrdn. This marks a significant shift for XRPL, traditionally known for payments, into the tokenized real-world asset sector. While still a tiny fraction of the $30+ trillion Treasury market, XRPL's tokenized assets grew 2,200% in 2025. Experts project the global tokenization market could reach $200 trillion. If XRPL captures a notable share as this market scales, it could have significant implications for the price of XRP.

bitcoinist2 saat önce

Ripple’s Tokenization Bet: Will XRP Price Explode As It Enters This Trillion-Dollar Industry?

bitcoinist2 saat önce

Bitcoin Could Strengthen US National Security, Top Military Commander Says

US lawmakers advocate for domestic Bitcoin mining equipment production, citing national security risks from foreign hardware dependence. Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee that Bitcoin is a tool for "power projection" and cybersecurity. He emphasized Bitcoin's proof-of-work system as a costly deterrent against network attacks, aligning it with US national power instruments. This echoes earlier military perspectives, like US Space Force's Jason Lowery, who argued Bitcoin's utility beyond finance. The hearing also addressed cyber threats, including North Korea's crypto theft for weapons funding. While the US leads in Bitcoin holdings and mining, reliance on overseas-manufactured mining hardware remains a vulnerability.

bitcoinist4 saat önce

Bitcoin Could Strengthen US National Security, Top Military Commander Says

bitcoinist4 saat önce

İşlemler

Spot

Futures

Popüler Makaleler

PUSH Nasıl Satın Alınır

HTX.com’a hoş geldiniz! Push Protocol (PUSH) satın alma işlemlerini basit ve kullanışlı bir hâle getirdik. Adım adım açıkladığımız rehberimizi takip ederek kripto yolculuğunuza başlayın. 1. Adım: HTX Hesabınızı OluşturunHTX'te ücretsiz bir hesap açmak için e-posta adresinizi veya telefon numaranızı kullanın. Sorunsuzca kaydolun ve tüm özelliklerin kilidini açın. Hesabımı Aç2. Adım: Kripto Satın Al Bölümüne Gidin ve Ödeme Yönteminizi SeçinKredi/Banka Kartı: Visa veya Mastercard'ınızı kullanarak anında Push Protocol (PUSH) satın alın.Bakiye: Sorunsuz bir şekilde işlem yapmak için HTX hesap bakiyenizdeki fonları kullanın.Üçüncü Taraflar: Kullanımı kolaylaştırmak için Google Pay ve Apple Pay gibi popüler ödeme yöntemlerini ekledik.P2P: HTX'teki diğer kullanıcılarla doğrudan işlem yapın.Borsa Dışı (OTC): Yatırımcılar için kişiye özel hizmetler ve rekabetçi döviz kurları sunuyoruz.3. Adım: Push Protocol (PUSH) Varlıklarınızı SaklayınPush Protocol (PUSH) satın aldıktan sonra HTX hesabınızda saklayın. Alternatif olarak, blok zinciri transferi yoluyla başka bir yere gönderebilir veya diğer kripto para birimlerini takas etmek için kullanabilirsiniz.4. Adım: Push Protocol (PUSH) Varlıklarınızla İşlem YapınHTX'in spot piyasasında Push Protocol (PUSH) ile kolayca işlemler yapın.Hesabınıza erişin, işlem çiftinizi seçin, işlemlerinizi gerçekleştirin ve gerçek zamanlı olarak izleyin. Hem yeni başlayanlar hem de deneyimli yatırımcılar için kullanıcı dostu bir deneyim sunuyoruz.

500 Toplam GörüntülenmeYayınlanma 2024.12.13Güncellenme 2025.03.21

Tartışmalar

HTX Topluluğuna hoş geldiniz. Burada, en son platform gelişmeleri hakkında bilgi sahibi olabilir ve profesyonel piyasa görüşlerine erişebilirsiniz. Kullanıcıların PUSH (PUSH) fiyatı hakkındaki görüşleri aşağıda sunulmaktadır.