Sohn Byung-doo Says Programmable Money Will Reshape the Financial Industry at DAIF 2026

Digital Asset Investment Insight Forum 2026

Sohn Byung-doo, Chief Executive Officer of Toss Insight

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"Digital assets should not be viewed only as investment assets. We need to focus on the fundamental changes they bring. Digital assets are completely changing the nature of money."

Sohn Byung-doo, chief executive officer of Toss Insight, made the remarks on July 2 at the Digital Asset Investment Insight Forum 2026 at the Conrad Seoul in Yeouido. He said the era of programmable money based on blockchain technology is approaching. Programmable money refers to digital currency designed to pay out and settle automatically when conditions are met and to be used only for designated purposes.

Sohn said the biggest difference between programmable money and traditional automatic transfers or automated payments is connectivity. Existing financial systems allow automation only within banks or card companies. Blockchain networks, by contrast, can run the same mechanism across borders and institutions on a global network.

He cited three forces behind the shift: the growth of stablecoins, advances in smart contracts and decentralized finance, and the integration of digital assets into formal regulatory systems. "Stablecoins are no longer just investment assets. They are functioning as payment infrastructure," he said. Digital assets are moving into the core of the financial system through frameworks such as the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, stablecoin legislation in the US, and regulatory changes in Japan and Singapore.

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Sohn said financial services will continue to evolve as programmable money becomes more widely adopted. The line between financial and non-financial services will also blur as financial functions become embedded more naturally into everyday services. "We are heading toward a time when payments happen without people even realizing they are making them, and money moves on its own in daily life," he said. "As automakers, platform companies and retailers also provide financial services, the boundary between finance and non-finance will gradually disappear."

Sohn said individuals, companies and governments all need to prepare for the shift. Individuals need to understand digital assets not simply as investment targets but through the lens of structural change in finance. Companies need to build infrastructure that can support automated settlement systems and programmable money.

He also laid out three principles for governments: technology-neutral regulation, a broader regulatory sandbox and the creation of trust infrastructure. "The government's role is not to block innovation, but to build the signals and road system that allow it to move safely," he said. He added that authorities also need to establish smart contract audit systems, security standards, liability frameworks and dispute-resolution procedures.

Sohn said the programmable money era could become a new growth driver for South Korea. "Korea has strong mobile finance adoption, high digital adaptability, solid financial infrastructure and competitive content industries," he said. "It can move beyond being just a digital-asset trading market and become a country that designs and exports financial services."

Jin Wook, Bloomingbit reporter / Kim Su-hyeon, Bloomingbit reporter