Kakao linked National Pension Service functions to its AI civil assistant being piloted with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, allowing users to handle tasks in KakaoTalk chats. Users can check enrollment history, confirm eligibility for voluntary 가입, calculate expected premiums and submit applications. Identity verification uses Kakao certificates. Kakao said it enhanced the assistant to process public services requiring authentication and plans to add functions and expand to other services.

Cooperation between traditional financial firms and crypto-asset operators is expanding, with moves by Kakao Group, brokerages and exchanges. In the United States, the OCC gave preliminary approval to two digital banks pursuing crypto custody and stablecoin business. In South Korea, the Democratic Party plans to draw up a Digital Asset Basic Act this year. Competition is also shifting across platform finance, raising questions about entry rules, conflicts of interest, consumer choice and security.