South Korea’s Banking Titans in Game-Changing Talks with Tether and Circle Over Stablecoin Expansion

Seoul's financial heavyweights are making power moves—and stablecoins are the new battleground.

Banking Giants Dive Into Digital Assets

South Korea's largest banks are holding high-stakes negotiations with Tether and Circle. They're not just dipping toes—they're diving headfirst into the stablecoin revolution. These institutions see dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies as the next frontier in financial services.

Regulatory Chess Match Underway

Behind closed doors, bankers and regulators are mapping uncharted territory. They're wrestling with compliance frameworks that didn't exist five years ago. The Financial Services Administration watches closely—every move could set precedent for Asia's fourth-largest economy.

Market Dynamics Shift Rapidly

Traditional finance finally acknowledges what crypto natives knew years ago: stablecoins aren't just speculation tools—they're liquidity engines. Banks want in before they get disrupted. Because nothing motivates legacy institutions like the fear of becoming legacy.

Global Domino Effect Begins

When Korean banks move, Asian markets notice. This isn't experimentation—it's strategic positioning. Other central banks will face pressure to accelerate their digital currency plans. The race for digital sovereignty just hit hyperdrive.

Because sometimes the most revolutionary banking innovation comes from outside the banking system—until the banks decide to buy their way in.

Four Major South Korean Financial Groups Looking Into Stablecoins

As reported by YonHap, major South Korean financial groups will see their top executives meeting with Tether and Circle this week. Tether and Circle are the issuers of the two largest stablecoins: USDT and USDC, respectively.

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that have their price pegged to a fiat currency. This means that unlike assets such as Bitcoin, these tokens normally don’t face any major fluctuations, hence the “stable” in their name.

South Korea has been making a push toward digital assets and stablecoins under the leadership of pro-crypto President Lee Jae Myung. One of the promises made by the President was to establish a market for Korean won-based stablecoins. The country’s financial regulator is expected to release its stablecoin framework in October, as Bitcoinist reported earlier in the week.

Now, it seems major players in the country are also laying the groundwork for diving into the space. As per the report, Shinhan Financial Group CEO Jin Ok-dong and Hana Financial Group CEO Ham Young-joo are set to have separate meetings with Heath Tarbert, the president of Circle, on Friday. The latter is also expected to meet with a Tether official.

Two other big financial groups, KB Financial Group and Woori Bank, will also see executives meeting with Tarbert, but the details of their talks aren’t yet known to the public.

YonHap notes,

The banking heads are expected to discuss areas of partnership, including the distribution and transactions of dollar-pegged stablecoins in South Korea, as well as the issuance of won-backed stablecoins.

Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong launched its legislation on stables at the start of this month. Big names like Standard Chartered in its joint-venture have lined up to obtain an issuer license in the city.

Speaking of stablecoins, on-chain data shows the TRON network has observed huge shifts from USDT mega wallets in the past day, as explained by an analyst in a CryptoQuant Quicktake post.

As the above chart displays, 57% of the latest USDT transactions on the blockchain involved a size greater than $100 million, indicating elevated activity from institutional-grade entities. In total, the largest of USDT wallets on tron have seen a balance change of a whopping $6.95 billion alongside these transactions.

BTC Price

Bitcoin fell under $112,000 earlier in the day, but it appears the cryptocurrency has found a slight rebound as its price is back at $113,700.