"Institutionalization of Digital Assets…Leading the Convergence of Technology and Finance"

Recently, as digital assets emerge as a major topic in financial markets, the importance of institutionalization has been re-emphasized. Experts stressed that responsible innovation based on trust and regulation will be the key to driving growth in the digital asset market.

On the 30th (Korean time), as a side event of the APEC CEO Summit, a panel discussion was held under the theme 'Coexistence and Cooperation between Traditional Finance and Digital Assets' at the 'Future Tech Forum: Digital Assets.' James Kim, AmCham chairman, served as moderator, and Oh Kyung-seok, CEO of Dunamu, Michael Ho, CEO of American Bitcoin, and Danny Chan, Mastercard Asia CISO, participated as panelists.

CEO Oh shared the role that Upbit has played in the institutionalization of digital assets in Korea. He said, "Korea's digital asset market is globally advanced, but a complete trust framework has not yet been established due to its separation from traditional finance," and added, "The private sector must cooperate, together with government policy support, to enhance market trust and transparency."

CEO Oh also discussed the currently pursued 'KIWA Chain (KIWA Chain),' saying, "Dunamu is working on investor protection while building global financial infrastructure for innovation, such as blockchain infrastructure and custody services," and, "We will use this as a foothold to push for global expansion."

Michael Ho, CEO of American Bitcoin, emphasized the importance of institutionalization based on his own experience. American Bitcoin is a bitcoin (BTC) holding company established in April by President Donald Trump's eldest and second sons. He explained, "American Bitcoin completed its Nasdaq listing five months after its founding, creating a bridge to traditional finance," and, "Proper regulation does not slow innovation but serves to orient it."

Ho CEO also emphasized that many companies, particularly in the United States, are adopting digital assets to create new value chains. He noted, "BlackRock's bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) surpassed US$100 billion in assets under management before it even reached two years since its launch," and, "Institutional progress such as approval of bitcoin spot ETFs is accelerating inflows of institutional capital, which is breaking down the boundaries between traditional finance and the digital asset market."