Samsung’s financial and tech arms are expanding their footprint in Korea’s crypto ecosystem by acquiring a combined 4% stake in Dunamu, the operator of Upbit. The purchase covers 1.39 million Dunamu shares held by Kakao affiliates for 612.8 billion won (around $408 million). Samsung Securities will take a 2% stake, while Samsung SDS and Samsung Card will each hold 1%.
According to Yonhap News Agency and ZDNet Korea, the three affiliates approved the deal, underscoring a broader push by Samsung into Korea’s digital-asset landscape at a time when regulators are shaping a formal framework for tokenized securities and stablecoins. The investment sits alongside Samsung’s ongoing efforts to bridge regulated tokenized infrastructure with consumer crypto services, a trajectory reinforced by recent group activity in the space.
In a broader strategic move, Samsung SDS is also tied to a separate blockchain initiative for Korea’s financial infrastructure. Earlier in May, Samsung SDS reportedly won a contract to build and operate the Korea Securities Depository’s blockchain-based securities platform, positioning the group at the center of Korea’s evolving tokenized-securities framework.
Concurrently, Hana Financial Group disclosed it would acquire a 6.55% stake in Dunamu from Kakao Investment for more than $668 million, a move that elevated the Upbit operator’s shareholder base and reinforced traditional financial institutions’ growing stake in Korea’s crypto ecosystem. The stake was reported by Cointelegraph.
Samsung Card’s involvement points to potential digital-asset payment use cases with Dunamu, including through Samsung Financial Networks’ integrated Monimo app. While no stablecoin or payment product has been announced yet, the collaboration signals an interest in integrating crypto rails with consumer-facing payment flows as South Korea advances its regulatory preparations for won-denominated stablecoins and tokenized securities.
Meanwhile, regulators are moving forward with the second phase of virtual-asset legislation. The Financial Services Commission has said it is continuing discussions with related agencies on key details, including stablecoin issuer structures, which remain undecided. In January, amendments to the Electronic Registration Act and the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act were enacted to recognize blockchain-based distributed ledgers as securities registries, placing the Korea Securities Depository at the center of the market’s infrastructure. The framework is scheduled to take effect on February 4, 2027, following updates to subordinate rules and the establishment of supporting infrastructure.
FSC.Samsung expands its crypto footprint with Dunamu investment
The 4% Dunamu bid represents a notable consolidation of Samsung’s exposure to Korea’s crypto ecosystem. By distributing the stake across Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS, and Samsung Card, the conglomerate signals an intent to participate across issuance, infrastructure, and consumer-facing payment rails—an approach that mirrors broader industry moves where conglomerates seek to blend traditional finance with blockchain-enabled services.
Regulatory momentum: tokenized securities and infrastructure
Korea’s move to formalize tokenized-securities infrastructure centers on recognizing blockchain registries as legitimate securities records and building a trusted backbone through the Korea Securities Depository. With the act amendments now in place and a targeted 2027 implementation date, market participants watch closely for how issuers, exchanges and custodians will adapt to the new architecture. The ongoing dialogues around stablecoins remain a focal point for policymakers, as they weigh the design of issuer structures and the regulatory perimeter for digital-asset payments.
Strategic implications for Upbit and the broader ecosystem
Samsung’s investment deepens its ties to Dunamu and Upbit at a moment when traditional financial players are positioning themselves as custodians and distributors of regulated digital assets. Hana Financial’s sizeable stake underscores the appetite among banks and non-bank financials to participate in tokenized markets, while Samsung’s combined deal with Dunamu could accelerate collaborations on tokenized-securities issuance, distribution, and related digital-asset services. For Upbit, the expanding investor base may influence liquidity dynamics, product development, and regulatory engagement as the platform navigates a more formalized national framework.
On the technology side, Samsung SDS’ engagement points to a broader strategy to fuse enterprise IT capabilities—artificial intelligence, cloud, security, and data management—with Dunamu’s blockchain experience. Samsung Card’s exploration of digital-asset payments via Monimo hints at real-world usage scenarios that could be tested as the regulatory landscape solidifies. Collectively, these moves aim to align Korea’s crypto market with a framework that supports both regulated tokenized instruments and consumer-facing digital-asset services.
What remains uncertain is the pace at which the 2027 framework will translate into practical deployments and how other major players will respond—both in terms of competition and collaboration. The industry will also be watching how the stablecoin and tokenized-securities rules take shape, including issuer structures and cross-infrastructure interoperability, as clusters of collaboration between exchanges, banks, and technology groups continue to evolve.
Readers should keep an eye on further confirmations from Dunamu and Samsung on the specifics of their collaboration, any subsequent stake movements, and the evolution of Korea’s tokenized-securities ecosystem as the regulatory clock ticks toward 2027.
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