"Global expansion with GIWA Chain"…Dunamu held its own event at APEC [APEC CEO Summit 2025 On-site+]

APEC CEO Summit side event 'Future Tech Forum: Digital Assets'

"Stablecoins, rising as financial infrastructure"

Dunamu's aspiration to become a global company

Plans to advance GIWA Chain, custody, etc.

Oh Kyung-seok "I will take the lead in Korea's institutionalization"

On the 30th, the APEC CEO Summit 2025, a major side event of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting, was held at the Gyeongju Arts Center. As soon as I entered the venue, the Upbit logo was the first thing that caught my eye. The Upbit booth stood out in scale even compared to the booths of surrounding global finance and technology companies.

Foreign visitors also showed high interest. A Japanese attendee I met on site said, "I was very interested in virtual assets, but I didn't expect to see Upbit at APEC." Some found it somewhat unfamiliar. A Chinese visitor even asked, "What kind of business does Upbit do?"

Dunamu, the operator of the virtual asset exchange Upbit, was selected this year as an official partner of the APEC CEO Summit Korea. Dunamu is the first digital asset company to participate as an official partner of the APEC CEO Summit.

On site, it was easy to spot industry figures such as Dunamu Chairman Song Chi-hyung and Dunamu CEO Oh Kyung-seok. A Dunamu official said, "This participation in the APEC CEO Summit is a sign that digital assets are beginning to be included in global governance discussions," adding, "We hope this will be an opportunity for Korea to establish itself as a hub leading blockchain technology and institutionalization."

'Stablecoin' in focus

Dunamu solely hosted the 'Future Tech Forum: Digital Assets', one of the official sessions of the APEC CEO Summit that day. The Future Tech Forum is a venue to discuss the future of national strategic industries such as shipbuilding, defense, artificial intelligence (AI), and energy, and this year 'digital assets' were included as a theme for the first time.

The topic that received the most attention was stablecoins. Michael Casey, senior advisor for digital assets at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, who delivered the keynote, said, "In the AI era, AI will perform transactions instead of humans," and added, "The currency that AI will use will be stablecoins in the form of programmable money." He further said, "Each country should hasten the introduction of stablecoins based on their national currency to protect monetary sovereignty."

The panel discussion that followed continued the discussion on stablecoins. Panelists agreed, saying, "Stablecoins are no longer a technical experiment but a core infrastructure connecting global finance and blockchain."

Dunamu also emphasized its stablecoin business plans. Yoon Seon-ju, Dunamu Chief Brand Impact Officer (CBIO), said, "Dunamu sees stablecoins as a key link connecting blockchain technology and real finance," adding, "(For now) we are dedicated to building a transparent and trustworthy system."

Dunamu hints at global expansion

Dunamu said it aims to leap into a global company through this event. CEO Oh Kyung-seok said, "(Dunamu's) vision goes beyond Korea and exchanges," and added, "We will build blockchain infrastructure optimized for finance and lead responsible innovation in the global market."

At the core of its global business is Dunamu's recently launched proprietary blockchain, 'GIWA Chain'. CEO Oh said, "GIWA Chain is designed as a financial blockchain that supports both stablecoin initiatives and distribution," and explained, "We will evolve it into a global financial infrastructure through the GIWA wallet that connects web2 and web3, the global travel-rule solution 'VerifyVASP' connecting 150 institutions in 30 countries, and institutional custody service Upbit Custody."

CEO Oh said Dunamu will support the institutionalization of the domestic digital asset industry. He said, "Korea has the potential to grow into a global hub by connecting finance and technology through the institutionalization of the digital asset market," adding, "Although the complete integration of traditional finance and digital assets has not yet been achieved, once institutionalization begins, change will be very rapid." He also said, "We will take the lead in institutionalization through cooperation with authorities."

Gyeongju=Jinwook, Bloomingbit reporter wook9629@bloomingbit.io