| Mobile Web

Banks or non-banks? Last-minute tug of war over won stablecoin issuers

As discussions to institutionalise won-denominated stablecoins near the final stage, South Korea is debating how broadly to allow issuers. Authorities are consulting on issuer eligibility, reserve assets and redemption systems under the planned Digital Asset Framework Act. One option would allow issuance by consortia in which banks hold a majority stake. The Bank of Korea supports introducing private won stablecoins but stresses risks to financial markets and monetary policy as scale grows.