Korea Passes Tokenized Asset Amendments; 3,500 Firms May Get Virtual Asset Accounts

Key Point

Korea's National Assembly passed amendments to the Electronic Securities Act and the Capital Markets Act. The amendments place tokenized real-world assets and security tokens under a unified legal framework. Korea's Financial Services Commission proposed virtual asset accounts for approximately 3,500 listed companies and registered professional investors. The Bank of Korea completed the initial Project Hangang trial and plans second-phase institutional testing in late 2026. Technical experiments used wholesale deposit tokens for AI agents to execute automated conditional transactions.

Why it matters: A unified legal framework could reduce regulatory uncertainty and support broader institutional use of tokenized financial infrastructure.

Market Sentiment

Cautiously Bullish, Policy-driven.

Reason: Korea's National Assembly passed amendments that create a unified legal framework for tokenized real-world assets and security tokens.

Similar Past Cases

The European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation entered into force in June 2023 and established uniform rules for crypto-assets, including transparency, authorization, and supervision requirements. (ESMA) The Korean development differs because it combines tokenized securities legislation with a proposed expansion of corporate virtual asset accounts.

Ripple Effect

The legal framework could support institutional demand for custody, settlement, and compliance services tied to tokenized assets. If implementation rules enable broad participation, then financial institutions could expand tokenized asset offerings.

Opportunities & Risks

Opportunities: If Korea's Financial Services Commission publishes final account eligibility rules, then investors can treat broader institutional access as a confirmation signal for tokenization infrastructure.

Risks: If the final rules impose narrow access limits or strict operational requirements, then investors can reassess whether institutional adoption may progress more slowly.