Lotte’s Daehong Communications Disrupts Finance with Aptos-Powered Blockchain ’Money Movement’ Ecosystem

South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group makes its boldest crypto play yet.

Daehong Communications—an affiliate of the retail giant—just announced plans to build a blockchain-based financial ecosystem using Aptos. Dubbed 'Money Movement,' the project aims to streamline digital transactions while (theoretically) keeping traditional banking middlemen sweating.

Why Aptos? The Move-language blockchain offers the speed and scalability needed for mass adoption—something legacy finance still struggles with despite decades of 'innovation.'

No details on tokenomics yet, but expect the usual corporate crypto promises: 'seamless integration,' 'user empowerment,' and at least one executive claiming they 'believe in decentralization' while reporting to a boardroom full of suits.

Launch timeline? Unclear. Regulatory hurdles? Inevitable. Potential to actually modernize Korea's financial infrastructure? We'll believe it when we see on-chain proof.

Daehong Communications, a Lotte Group affiliate led by CEO Deokhee Kim, today announced the integration of the high-performance LAYER 1 blockchain, Aptos, to develop a real-world, economy-based ‘Money Movement’ ecosystem. This initiative builds on the partnership established between Daehong Communications and Aptos Foundation last year, integrating Aptos’ blockchain technology with ‘Giftiel,’ a mobile voucher service operated by Daehong’s subsidiary, Spoon. During the soft launch phase, Giftiel has already seen over 500,000 users holding vouchers on Aptos and more than 1 million vouchers issued*.

The ‘Money Movement’ ecosystem is a blockchain-based framework that tracks and verifies in real time how digital assets—such as mobile vouchers, loyalty points, mileage, and stablecoins—are created, transferred, and used in the real-world economy. Its key feature is that all transaction histories are recorded on the blockchain, allowing for transparent ownership and management.

Through the integration with Aptos, the entire lifecycle of Giftiel vouchers—from issuance and distribution to redemption—has been implemented on-chain. Users now have transparent ownership and traceability of their vouchers, while businesses gain precise operational insights powered by highly reliable usage data. Notably, as a real-world application of blockchain technology at a significant economic touchpoint, the “Movement Movement” framework holds potential for phased expansion into a variety of use cases, including customer reward, commerce services, as well as future opportunities related to stablecoins.

Kang Tae-ho, Head of the Future Growth Division at Daehong Communications, stated, “This project aims to provide users with a new digital experience that goes beyond simple benefits, allowing users to own and transparently manage their coupons. Building on the blockchain integration of Giftiel, we will drive various innovations to increase the utilization of digital assets in the real economy and contribute to the mainstream adoption of Web 3.0. As stablecoin regulations take shape in the future, the practical use of digital assets within the real economy is expected to expand further, building on the foundation established by the Giftiel service.”

“The early results from Giftiel’s integration with Aptos show how blockchain delivers tangible business value and real-world impact at scale,” said Solomon Tesfaye, Chief Business Officer of Aptos Labs, which provided technical assistance for the integration. “Around the world, enterprises are adopting blockchain technologies—stablecoins, tokenized assets, and more—to reimagine customer experiences and operations. As one of the world’s leading blockchains, Aptos provides Korean companies like Lotte with proven, enterprise-grade infrastructure to innovate with confidence and capture opportunities in the digital economy.”

Following the on-chain integration of Giftiel, Daehong Communications plans to continue expanding its technical and marketing cooperation with Aptos Labs and actively contribute to the growth of the Aptos ecosystem.

Giftiel’s blockchain data can be accessed in real time through the Aptos explorer (https://aptos-explorer.xangle.io/) developed and operated by Web3 solutions provider Xangle. The platform offers a comprehensive view of key information—including voucher details, transaction history, and holder statistics—delivering greater transparency and meaningful insights for both users and businesses.

*Figures tracked starting July 3, 2025. Latest data available at: https://aptos-explorer.xangle.io/

Daehong Communications, founded in 1982, is an integrated marketing and advertising company that has been a leader in marketing communications by consistently delivering successful campaigns. The company offers comprehensive marketing solutions, ranging from creative TV and digital advertisements to brand experiences, data-driven digital performance, and marketing insights, helping brands expand consumer engagement across diverse advertising and marketing domains.

Aptos Labs is dedicated to creating network tooling and seamless usability for users of the Aptos network. It is backed by top-flight investors including a16z, Katie Haun, Apollo Global Management, Binance Labs, Dragonfly, PayPal Ventures, and Franklin Templeton Investments.

Aptos is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain. Aptos’ breakthrough technology, scalable infrastructure, and user safeguards are designed to power the next generation of financial systems by offering unparalleled high throughput and low latency that can scale to billions of users.