Mirae Asset has unveiled an ambitious push into digital finance: a 150 trillion won (roughly $109 billion) target for a new digital-asset business built around cryptocurrency, stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization and security token offerings. What the plan looks like - Four core areas: cryptocurrency trading, stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets (RWA) such as gold, silver — even electricity — and security token offerings (STOs). - The operating hub will be Digital X (the exchange formerly known as Korbit), which Mirae Asset says should become a “core pillar of ‘Mirae Asset 3.0.’” - Mirae Asset is anchoring this push on roughly 1,500 trillion won of client assets, targeting a digital-asset line about 10% of that base. - Management hopes the digital unit will turn profitable by 2027, although Mirae hasn’t published a timeline for reaching the full 150 trillion won goal or broken down how much will come from exchanges vs. stablecoins vs. tokenized products. Background on Digital X / Korbit - Korbit, founded in 2013 as South Korea’s first crypto exchange, has historically been a small market participant. It held about 0.5% of Korea’s crypto trading market in 2025 (Fair Trade Commission data), well behind leaders like Upbit and Bithumb. - In July, Mirae Asset Consulting completed a takeover of Korbit—buying 97.15% of the exchange for a total of about 141.4 billion won. The Fair Trade Commission cleared the deal on July 9, noting Korbit’s small market share. - After the acquisition, Korbit rebranded to Digital X. Trading, deposits, withdrawals, accounts and custody continued uninterrupted. - Digital X’s 2025 operating figures showed roughly 9.8 billion won in revenue and a 15.4 billion won operating loss—highlighting the gap between ambition and current scale. Fresh capital and incentives - Digital X’s board approved a 50 billion won capital injection via new common shares (10,078,614 shares at 4,961 won each) that Mirae Asset Consulting was due to take up; the proceeds are intended to shore up finances and support operations. - To stimulate activity while it builds new products, Digital X has removed trading fees for all won-denominated assets, with the zero-fee program running through Aug. 24, 2027. Regulatory tailwinds — and constraints - South Korea’s legislature passed amendments to the Electronic Securities Act and the Capital Markets Act on Jan. 15, creating a legal route for blockchain-based securities and tokenized financial products. The amended laws, recognizing distributed ledgers as valid securities registries, are set to take effect Feb. 4, 2027. - Under the new framework, tokenized securities will sit inside Korea’s existing capital markets regime: licensed intermediaries will handle distribution and the Korea Securities Depository will maintain formal records. Issuers still must meet conventional disclosure and registration rules. - The regulatory program also considers access for corporate and institutional players, with a controlled pilot for eligible businesses that have real-name accounts—a system that had effectively blocked corporate trading on local exchanges since 2017. Open questions and cross-border implications - Mirae Asset has revealed few product specifics: it hasn’t said which assets will be tokenized first, who would custody underlying gold or silver, how electricity-linked tokens would be structured, or whether offerings will be limited to Korean investors. - Any offer to U.S. investors would need to comply with U.S. securities, broker-dealer and disclosure rules. The U.S. SEC has cautioned that moving securities on-chain does not remove regulatory obligations; third-party token structures can create additional risks such as bankruptcy exposure or synthetic exposure, depending on design. SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda has emphasized that tokenized securities remain subject to existing securities rules for issuance, custody and trading. Why this matters - Mirae Asset’s 150 trillion won target is bold relative to Digital X’s current size, but the group’s ownership gives the exchange access to capital, client relationships and institutional infrastructure it lacked as an independent Korbit. - If Mirae executes successfully, the plan could accelerate tokenization activity in South Korea—leveraging freshly clarified law—and create a template for how traditional financial groups scale crypto and RWA products inside regulated markets. Bottom line: Mirae Asset is betting big on tokenization and crypto as a strategic growth pillar. The roadmap leans on new legal clarity, capital injections and its newly acquired exchange, but meaningful product, custody and market details remain to be disclosed — as do the steps that will move a small, loss-making exchange toward a $109 billion-equivalent business. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news