AhnLab's blockchain unit AhnLab Blockchain Company (ABC) said on Wednesday it obtained a virtual asset service provider (VASP) licence from the Financial Intelligence Unit for virtual asset custody and transfer.

ABC said it completed acceptance of its VASP filing for a custody service that takes customer virtual assets in trust for storage and management, and carries out transfers following internal approval procedures at the customer's request.

With the acceptance, ABC said it has secured a legal basis to conduct virtual asset custody and transfer business within the regulated system. It plans to use this to expand its Web3 financial infrastructure business for corporate customers. ABC is working with SK Telecom, its second-largest shareholder, to build corporate digital asset infrastructure for the financial sector, and is also jointly reviewing possibilities for stablecoin use.

ABC plans to expand its business scope into stablecoins and real-world asset tokenisation (RWA), and to pursue building a Web3-based financial services ecosystem through cooperation with financial firms and fintech companies.

ABC CEO Seok-gyun Kang (강석균) said, "With the acceptance of our initial VASP filing, we have laid the groundwork to expand our business within the regulated system." He added, "We will combine regulatory compliance and technological innovation in a balanced way to build a reliable Web3 financial environment and support companies and users so they can use digital assets with confidence."