Korea’s crypto exchanges resume charging fees, shifting market shares

JD.com, also known as JINGDONG, a NASDAQ-listed Chinese e-commerce giant, is understood to be making plans to acquire stablecoin licensing in key international markets.  According to Chinese news site, Guancha.cn, Richard Liu, the founder of JD.com, which recorded revenues of $41.5 billion in Q1 2025, outlined details regarding the company’s stablecoin plans in a press briefing held in Beijing on June 17. Liu stated: "We hope to apply for stablecoin licenses in all major countries with sovereign currencies. With these licenses, our goal is to enable global foreign exchange transactions, starting with business-to-business payments."Photo by Shutter Speed on UnsplashReducing costs & settlement timeThe JD.com founder added that using stablecoins, the company “can reduce payment costs by 90% and complete transactions within 10 seconds,” while going on to point out that payments made by way of the traditional SWIFT financial messaging system take up to four working days to settle. While JD.com plans to commence with a utilization of stablecoins for business-to-business transactions, Liu said, “We hope that one day, people around the world will be able to use JD’s digital currency for global payments.” JD.com’s move towards the use of stablecoins follows a similar step taken by Ant Group, an affiliate company of Chinese e-commerce rival, Alibaba Group. It emerged last week that subsidiary company Ant International intends to apply for stablecoin licensing in Hong Kong, Singapore and Luxembourg. Additionally, Ant Digital Technologies, another Ant Group subsidiary, is also planning on applying for a stablecoin license in Hong Kong, once the Chinese autonomous territory rolls out its stablecoin regulation this summer. Stablecoin sandbox participantWhile JD.com has now announced its intentions with regard to the use of stablecoins, it has not as yet fully deployed its own token. However, JD Coinlink, a subsidiary company under its JD Technology arm, recently launched the second testing phase for a Hong Kong dollar (HKD)-pegged stablecoin.  The project first announced its intentions to issue a HKD-pegged stablecoin called the “JD Stablecoin,” back in June 2024. At that time, it asserted that reserves would be composed of highly liquid and credible assets, with those funds being regularly audited and held independently via licensed financial institutions.  Last July, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) launched a regulatory sandbox for stablecoin issuers with JD Coinlink joining Animoca Brands, Standard Chartered and Hong Kong Telecommunications as participants. The sandbox allows participants to test both the issuance and the use of stablecoins for a variety of use cases including payments, supply chain management and capital markets. Hong Kong has set Aug. 1 as the effective date for its Stablecoin Ordinance, which will enable certain stablecoins to be issued without a license when offered to professional investors, while a stablecoin must be licensed if offered to a retail market participant. JD.com has developed its own proprietary blockchain, Zhizhen Chain, with that network already accounting for $7 billion in supply chain finance-related transactions. KuCoin CEO BC Wong commented on JD.com’s stablecoin plans, stating that the development is a “big signal,” while noting that in the United States, the GENIUS Act, legislation concerned with the issuance and exchange of stablecoins, has just been passed by the U.S. Senate.

SK C&C to Spearhead Establishment of Korea’s First Alternative Trading SystemSK C&C, the information communications technology arm of South Korean conglomerate SK Group, is set to launch the country’s first Alternative Trading System (ATS) — a securities trading venue that is more loosely regulated than an exchange — in the second half of next year.The firm announced on Wednesday that it will commence the multilateral trading system construction project for Nextrade, a corporation dedicated to preparing the ATS.Photo by Kanchanara on UnsplashCollaborative effort of securities institutionsNextrade was initiated by seven securities firms, including the Korea Financial Investment Association, and was jointly established by 34 participating institutions, including 19 securities companies, three securities-related institutions, and four tech companies in November of last year.SK C&C in particular has been working with Nextrade since 2019. When the corporation was still a consultative body of securities firms, the SK subsidiary was in charge of consulting on various matters regarding the establishment of the ATS and functional system requirements.Establishing a solid foundationThe aforementioned construction project aims to establish a multilateral trading system and an operation and management system to support the trading, brokerage, and agency functions of listed securities and depositary receipts on the ATS, which Nextrade will proceed with upon its official approval in the second half of next year. SK C&C will take on a major role in leading this task.“Based on our digital IT service capabilities that we have accumulated within the financial sphere, we will establish an efficient and reliable multilateral trading system that is on par with regular exchanges,” said Kim Nam-sik, head of the SK C&C Financial Digital2 Group.Besides facilitating multilateral trading, SK C&C will develop an information distribution system that processes investment information in connection with the Korea Exchange and the Korea Securities Depository, as well as a trading support system responsible for product information management, trading statistics, and administration.Trading after hoursThe ATS will allow trading past normal trading hours, which are usually from 9 AM to 3:30 PM — an especially attractive selling point for buyers and sellers. This will be made possible by compiling product information based on closing prices after the market closes, which will create an environment that allows for trading after hours.This service will not only be convenient for office workers but also help them refer to official announcements and the status of overseas markets to make more informed decisions, SK C&C said.Securities that can be traded after hours will be limited to listed stocks and depository receipts on the Korea Exchange for the time being, but SK C&C is reportedly looking into allowing trading of security tokens, non-security virtual assets, and NFTs.Ensuring uninterrupted operationsNotably, there will also be a Disaster Recovery Center, which will serve to protect the ATS’ major systems and data assets and ensure business continuity. A data backup system will be set up to reduce backup time and swiftly recover from any failures in case of potential security threats.Furthermore, the ATS plans to introduce new types of orders to enhance investor benefits in the domestic capital market, setting it apart from the Korea Exchange.

Hong Kong and Kazakhstan Pilot SWIFT’s CBDC SolutionCentral bank digital currency (CBDC) development globally is unrelenting, with the latest iteration of that involving global financial messaging network SWIFT.The global member-owned cooperative recently disclosed that three central banks are currently participating in beta-testing of this revolutionary solution, including the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the National Bank of Kazakhstan.Photo by NASA on UnsplashBuilding upon initial successThe company provided details on the initiative via a press release published to its website on Wednesday. Simultaneously, an extended consortium of over 30 financial institutions is embarking on sandbox experiments to explore a multitude of potential use cases.The impetus behind SWIFT’s commitment to CBDC interoperability grew stronger after a successful round of sandbox testing. Participants in the initial phase quickly recognized the potential and intrinsic value of SWIFT’s solution.Building on this success, the beta version of SWIFT’s CBDC connector solution is now being integrated into the infrastructure of three central banks and monetary authorities.Second phase testingIn tandem with the beta testing, SWIFT has inaugurated a second phase of sandbox experiments, drawing in a consortium of commercial banks, central banks, and financial market infrastructure providers. This phase is dedicated to exploring an array of use cases, ranging from trigger-based payments for digital trade platforms to foreign exchange models, delivery vs. payment mechanisms, and liquidity-saving techniques.Eighteen central and commercial banks had taken part in the first phase of those sandbox experiments. Equally, the second phase has attracted a long list of entities, including the Reserve Bank of Australia, Deutsche Bundesbank, HKMA, Bank of Thailand, CLS, and others. With thirty leading global financial institutions participating in this latest testing round, that makes for a 66% increase in participation by comparison with the first phase. Their collective input and collaboration will contribute towards shaping the future landscape where CBDCs are concerned.Tom Zschach, Chief Innovation Officer at SWIFT, commented on the use of the technology in bridging from existing systems, stating:“The financial community has already recognized the strong potential of our CBDC innovations for preventing digital islands while securely bridging the payment systems of today and the future.”Global hotbed of innovationThe American think tank, the Atlantic Council, has been tracking CDBC projects on a global basis. Its endeavors in that respect demonstrate the expansive efforts that are being made to develop this technology.19 of the G20 countries are in advanced stages of CBDC development, with nine already in pilot phases. While this proliferation signifies the growing importance of CBDCs on the global stage, it also raises concerns about potential fragmentation as countries predominantly focus on domestic usage.SWIFT has taken a proactive stance in addressing the potential challenges of a fragmented CBDC landscape. The company embarked on its CBDC journey over 18 months ago, with the initial sandbox phase simulating nearly 5,000 transactions between different blockchain networks and existing fiat-based payment systems.