The Democratic Party of Korea plans to regulate tokenized real-world assets and stablecoins in the soon-to-be enacted “Framework Act on Digital Assets.” The proposal would require issuers to deposit assets with a trustee-managed trust institution, and classify stablecoins as a means of payment, subject to oversight by foreign exchange regulators. The bill bans earnings from idle stablecoins and calls for the development of interoperable technical standards, aiming to improve market transparency and safety. This marks an important step forward for South Korea’s digital asset regulation.

In 2026, the Korean crypto market will see significant changes, with USD Coin trading activity surging, reflecting growing demand for dollar-pegged stablecoins. Circle’s CEO will visit South Korea to discuss stablecoin use cases and partnerships with multiple banks. At the same time, South Korean regulators are strengthening stablecoin legislation, laying the groundwork for the digital asset market.

The Korean Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service announced that they will implement an “enhanced version of the withdrawal-delay制度,”统一制定 and standardize the exception criteria for delayed virtual-asset withdrawals, with the aim of preventing scam funds from being withdrawn and ensuring trading security.

On April 8, South Korean technology stocks surged sharply. SK hynix rose 14.30% to 1,047,000 won, with a market cap of 746.20 trillion won; Samsung Electronics climbed 8.14% to 212,500 won, with a market cap of 1,373.85 trillion won.

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire plans to visit South Korea in April to meet with executives from multiple banks and exchanges to discuss USDC use cases, international payments cooperation, and its KRW stablecoin plans, with the goal of expanding USDC’s use in the Korean market.

Gate News updates: Africa’s cryptocurrency market is seeing rapid growth. According to Ripple’s latest report, the total on-chain transaction value in the region grew 52% year over year, a trend closely tied to more and more countries putting clear cryptocurrency regulatory rules in place. Countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Mauritius are gradually bringing digital assets under financial supervision, giving businesses and users greater confidence and thereby boosting cryptocurrency adoption rates.

The Bank of Korea and France’s foreign exchange bank held a seminar in South Korea on digital assets and climate-related issues, discussing the impact of central bank digital currency and stablecoins on the financial system. During the meeting, countries discussed how to balance financial innovation and regulation, showing the global emphasis on collaborative research in digital finance.

Due to delays in the legislation of the Digital Asset Basic Act, several financial institutions in South Korea have launched stablecoin payment services for foreign users, building infrastructure. Industry analysis says that such services are like a “regulatory sandbox,” helping companies validate their business models.

Gate News message. On April 6, according to The Block, South Korea’s payments and banking giant Toss disclosed that it is considering developing its own blockchain network and issuing a native cryptocurrency. Insiders say Toss may build on a Layer1 mainnet and is exploring Layer2 expansion solutions, but has not yet made a final decision on what architecture to use. Related decisions are influenced by the progress of South Korea’s “Digital Asset Basic Act,” which will regulate key areas such as token issuance, stablecoins, and crypto ETFs.

Visa executives, during their visit to South Korea, said that the country is the best place to conduct stablecoin experiments, with 17 million cryptocurrency investors, and strong performance in the field of artificial intelligence. Visa is optimistic about South Korea’s future potential in combining stablecoin and AI businesses.