South Korean Banks Eager to Join $287 Billion Security Token Offerings (STO) Market

With experts predicting that the market for security token offerings (STO) will be worth $287 billion by 2030, South Korea’s financial sector is focusing on the market as having substantial potential. The top commercial banks in the nation are eager to engage in this developing industry and are making active preparations to do so.

The management research institute of the Hana Financial Group predicts that the domestic security token market in South Korea would increase to around $27 billion just in the upcoming year. According to the institution, the STO industry will have a decade of rapid growth and significant opportunity.

Government Policy and Industry Response

To promote the growth of the STO market, the South Korean government has been changing its policies. While domestic currency issuance was prohibited in the beginning of 2018, the government has made measures to loosen rules, especially for STO projects. Regulated financial institutions will have more freedom to provide STO products, according to sources in the sector anticipate “the pace of domestic financial companies’ entry into the market” to “accelerate quickly.”

Seoul intends to create a regulatory sandbox where specific businesses can issue and distribute tokenized securities under the supervision of the Financial Services Commission (FSC) in order to test the waters and ensure a seamless transition. However, in preparation for more advancement, banks are creating a STO alliance. The alliance was initially co-founded by Nonghyup (NH) Bank, Suhyup Bank, and Jeonbuk Bank; however, on June 15, Industrial Bank of Korea, Shinhan Bank, and Woori Bank joined the alliance.

The Potential of South Korean Security Tokens

Banks are getting ready for the rise of STOs, which are expected to provide tokenized assets including real estate, artwork, and music copyrights. Tokenized music copyright companies have already entered the FSC’s sandbox, demonstrating this industry’s potential for innovation. However, there are signs that due to regulatory delays, banks may not be able to fully access the STO market until 2025 or later.

Two significant banking organizations in South Korea, Shinhan Bank and Kookmin, have already started creating STO trading platforms. Their proactive approach shows that they are aware of the possibilities of security tokens and the value of taking a stand in this rapidly changing market.