6 days ago

South Korea Sets February 2027 Tokenised Securities Launch

South Korea wants to represent some regular investments as digital tokens on a blockchain.

These investments could include bonds, funds and certain shares.

The tokens would still be treated as regulated securities, not like Bitcoin.

The first part of the plan is scheduled to begin in February 2027.

It will start with a limited selection of investment products.

People will face limits on how much they can buy.

Later, more publicly offered securities could be added.

The final goal is to complete both the investment transfer and payment on the same digital system.

That last step depends partly on South Korea creating rules for stablecoins.

Key facts

First-stage date: February 2027, when revised securities rules take effect.
Initial products: Private money-market funds, private bonds, trust-held unlisted shares and publicly offered fractional investment securities.
Individual subscription cap: The lower of 30 million won, approximately $22,000, or 5% of an issue.
Over-the-counter limit: Annual net purchases on over-the-counter exchanges will be limited to about $74,000.
Second stage: Expansion to all publicly offered securities, with timing dependent on initial results, adoption and stablecoin legislation.
Final stage: On-chain settlement of securities and payments, potentially using stablecoins.
Infrastructure: Koscom is developing the shared KoSTO tokenised-securities platform, with several securities firms participating.

firstpost.com · 6 days ago