ETHGas to hold 'ETH Capital Summit' next month… “Linking Korean institutions with Ethereum”

ETHGas (ETHGas), an Ethereum (ETH) infrastructure project, said on the 24th that it will host its first “ETH Capital Summit” on the 15th of next month at The RAUM in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

ETH Capital is a global Ethereum conference hosted by ETHGas. This is the first time ETHGas has held the conference in Korea. ETHGas said, “ETH Capital brings together the world’s most influential builders and protocol founders to accelerate adoption of on-chain capital infrastructure,” adding that “through this, we will directly connect the Ethereum ecosystem with Korea’s leading companies and financial institutions.”

ETHGas decided to hold the ETH Capital Summit in Korea on the view that the domestic virtual asset industry is entering a turning point. Previously, after the government announced last year a roadmap for corporate participation in the virtual asset market, it has been preparing related guidelines. A key part of the roadmap is allowing virtual asset trading by about 3,500 listed companies and professional investors in Korea.

The government also formally signaled the introduction of spot virtual asset exchange-traded funds (ETFs) through its “2026 Economic Growth Strategy” in January this year. ETHGas expects that such regulatory easing will bring about $7 billion (about 10.5 trillion won) in institutional funds into Korea’s virtual asset market this year alone.

Kevin Lepsoe, founder of ETHGas, said, “ETH Capital is a platform that connects Ethereum protocol founders with institutions, sovereign wealth funds and asset managers,” adding, “With regulatory barriers falling and institutional capital flowing in, Seoul is an ideal city for the inaugural ETH Capital Summit.”

ETHGas argues that Ethereum is a blockchain optimized for institutional capital. In particular, it explained that the world’s largest asset manager BlackRock on the 12th of this month launched in the US an Ethereum staking ETF, the “iShares Staking Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHB),” presenting a blueprint for Ethereum-based, institution-grade financial products.

Demand for virtual assets is also rising in Korea’s traditional finance (TradFi) industry. Hana Financial Group recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with global investment bank Standard Chartered (SC) to strengthen cooperation on digital assets. An ETHGas official said, “(Hana Financial Group) shows TradFi demand for institution-grade virtual asset infrastructure,” adding that “(institution-grade infrastructure) spans areas where the Ethereum ecosystem plays a central role, such as DeFi, real-world assets (RWA) and ERC-20.”

Security token offerings (STOs) will also be introduced in earnest in Korea in 2027. ETHGas said, “The foundation has been laid in Korea for a tokenization market expected to grow to $250 billion by 2030,” adding, “Much of this is expected to be built on Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solutions.”

Meanwhile, speakers at the event will include Joseph Shalom Shaflink, chief executive officer (CEO); Justin Drake, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation; Son Jong-min, head of the Future Strategy Office at Hanwha Investment & Securities; and Kim Jun-woo, co-CEO of Xangle.

CEO Shalom said, “As tokenization, on-chain finance and stablecoins move into the mainstream, Ethereum and institutional demand are converging,” adding, “I’m excited to engage with institutions that, in cooperation with the ETH Capital Summit, are turning opportunities on Ethereum into action.”

David Kim, CEO of Assembly Labs, said, “Through our partnership with ETH Capital, we will bridge the gap between global Ethereum innovators and Korea’s financial institutions, and accelerate institutional adoption of Web3.”