[DigitalToday reporter Ji-young Lee] iM Securities forecast Hecto Financial will post its best-ever results this year, citing improved profitability in its existing payments business and the potential expansion of a stablecoin-based global payments and settlement business.

Lee Sang-heon (이상헌), an analyst at iM Securities, wrote in a company analysis report on Hecto Financial published on Aug. 31 that stablecoin benefits are becoming visible under an environment of record earnings.

Lee said changes in digital finance, including payments and remittances, could accelerate if the Digital Asset Basic Act is passed and provides a legal basis for issuing and distributing won-denominated stablecoins.

Hecto Financial joined the CPN (Circle Payments Network) in February, which is operated by Circle, the issuer of the global stablecoin USDC. Lee said this could boost the company's scope for expansion as it builds cross-border payments and settlement infrastructure using USDC.

Lee also cited institutionalisation of won-denominated stablecoins as a growth driver. He said Hecto Financial could serve as a global settlement infrastructure hub if won-denominated stablecoins are legislated and their use expands in the market.

He said linking CPN's global settlement infrastructure with the wallet infrastructure of Hecto Wallet One within the Hecto Group could support exchange and settlement between won-denominated stablecoins and major global digital assets and broaden use into a commerce environment for global platforms.

Lee also gave a positive assessment of the company's response to the AI agent payments market. As "agent commerce" expands, where AI carries out everything from product searches to purchases and payments, blockchain-based digital currencies including stablecoins could be used for micropayments and high-frequency payments, he said.

Hecto Financial is participating as a partner in the ecosystem for "x402", a global payments protocol dedicated to AI agents. Lee said the company is responding preemptively to the market based on its existing payments infrastructure and stablecoin infrastructure.

Lee also said improved profitability in the existing payments business is expected to drive earnings growth this year.

Lee said, "As sales growth of high-margin services based on our own membership model, including 'My Account Payment', begins in earnest, the pace of profitability improvement will accelerate."