[DigitalToday reporter Oh Sang-yup] The securities industry has set "digital transformation" as its top priority for 2026. In particular, it has moved to get ahead in the market by positioning digital assets such as tokenised securities (STO) and real-world assets (RWA) as a core future growth driver.

As of Jan. 5, the financial investment industry says major brokerages such as Korea Investment & Securities and Mirae Asset Securities view 2026 as the first year of entry into the digital asset market. They have been creating dedicated teams or expanding and reorganising related organisations.

The race for dominance in digital assets among brokerages was already foreshadowed last year. Mirae Asset Group opened the push in June by filing trademark applications related to digital assets through Mirae Asset Consulting, and NH Investment & Securities added fuel to the competition by filing its own trademark on July 4, the first brokerage to do so.

Shinhan Securities, Kiwoom Securities, Meritz Securities and IBK Investment & Securities then joined in, intensifying the fight to secure brands.

Korea Investment & Securities has been preparing to enter the market by operating a "virtual asset TF (task force)" since March last year. In November it filed a trademark related to stablecoins, drawing up a bigger plan that also covers payment systems. DB Financial Investment also set up a "digital asset new business promotion team" in the same month to complete preparations for entering the STO market.

Hanwha Investment & Securities has also drawn attention. At its "2026 management strategy meeting" held on Dec. 17, it presented an unconventional mid- to long-term goal, saying it would "transform into a digital asset specialist securities firm". At the meeting, Hanwha Investment & Securities officially declared its vision of becoming a "global number one real asset-based tokenised asset (RWA) hub".

To support that, it set up a "digital asset research team" within its research centre and began full-scale analysis of major cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, ethereum and solana. This is viewed as a case of boldly expanding brokerage research, which had been limited to traditional asset analysis, into digital assets.

Other large brokerages have also reshuffled organisations to shore up their lineups. Mirae Asset Securities reorganised its existing structure into a "Tech&AI division" to secure competitiveness in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital assets. It plans to create new business models by combining AI and Web3 technologies.

Shinhan Securities established an "AX (AI Transformation) headquarters" to proactively respond to the AI Basic Act, which is scheduled to take effect next year. The company said it aims to "take an early position at a key juncture in future finance through innovation in products and services using AI".

Kyobo Securities set up a "future strategy part" under its planning department and a "digital planning department" under its digital support headquarters. It elevated its existing digital asset Biz part to a department-level unit, further strengthening execution in STO commercialisation and external partnerships. Hana Securities also established an "AI strategy office" and assigned it a control-tower role to build a company-wide AI culture.

NH Investment & Securities has transformed its digital business division into a "mission-based cross-functional organisation". Under Lee Sil, head of its digital asset management headquarters, who took on a key role in the reshuffle, it plans to internalise AX and advance its digital asset management capabilities.

KB Securities is taking a somewhat cautious strategy while looking for opportunities. It began developing an STO platform in 2022 and formed the "ST Owners" consortium, but has slowed the pace due to delays in legislation. It plans to respond flexibly in line with legislative trends as the possibility of market expansion has recently resurfaced.

The reason brokerages are putting such effort into digital assets is the market's potential. A Meritz Securities report forecasts the global RWA market could reach as much as $10 trillion by 2030.

RWA refers to tokenising real-world assets such as real estate, artwork and bonds by placing them on a blockchain network. It is a broader concept than tokenised securities (STO), which have the legal characteristics of "securities".

Industry experts say RWA will dramatically improve inefficiencies in traditional financial markets, based on strengths such as 24-hour trading, instant settlement (T+0) and securing global liquidity.

Global asset managers such as BlackRock and Franklin Templeton are already stepping up fund tokenisation, and global financial institutions such as JPMorgan and Citibank are also trying to innovate cross-border payments through stablecoins and tokenised deposits.

An industry official said 2026 will be the first year of "hybrid finance" that combines the trust of traditional finance (TradFi) with the technical efficiency of Web3. The official forecast that the securities industry's landscape will ultimately be reshaped depending on who first builds a "super platform" where all assets are traded.