Dunamu (operator of Upbit) has teamed up with Visa to explore stablecoin payments, cross-border remittances and AI-driven financial services — but the effort is firmly in the research phase. What happened - On Aug. 26 in San Francisco, Dunamu CEO Oh Kyung-seok and Visa Global President Oliver Jenkyn presented a joint roadmap for collaboration. Visa’s Asia‑Pacific arm, Visa Worldwide Pte. Limited, officially signed the agreement with Dunamu ahead of the event. The partnership was publicly announced by Dunamu on Aug. 28. - The companies say they will combine Dunamu’s digital-asset infrastructure expertise with Visa’s global payments network to investigate stablecoin payments, global transfers, merchant settlement and new user experiences powered by AI. What’s confirmed — and what’s not - Confirmed: a strategic partnership and a multi-stage research and business-development program. The partners will proceed while considering applicable laws and regulatory requirements. - Not confirmed: any product launch, launch date, blockchain choice, stablecoin selection, custody provider, settlement method or initial market. Dunamu has stressed that stability, transparency, interoperability and regulatory compliance will guide the work, but it has not specified how those principles will be implemented or which party would hold customer assets or handle compliance. Open USD (OUSD) in scope - Dunamu and Visa said they will evaluate business models that incorporate Open USD (OUSD), a dollar-backed stablecoin promoted by the Open Standard initiative. Open Standard positions OUSD as a global payments token that participants can mint and redeem without fees or artificial limits; the initiative lists supporters including Visa, Mastercard, Coinbase, BlackRock and more than 140 organizations. - Important context: in July Dunamu said it had not agreed to issue OUSD or formally join the project and described its inclusion in Open Standard materials as under review. The new Visa partnership signals the companies will examine OUSD-based models, but it does not make Dunamu an OUSD issuer or operator. AI, “agentic commerce” and open questions - The partnership also targets payment infrastructure for so-called agentic commerce — scenarios where AI agents search for products, select services and execute payments on behalf of users. Dunamu and Visa will study technology for authorization, payment flows and settlement in these use cases. - The companies did not detail how user approval, spending limits, dispute resolution, identity verification or liability would work for AI-initiated purchases. These controls are critical because automated purchases raise novel questions about fraud, consent and responsibility. Stablecoin settlements can also be irreversible once on-chain. Regulatory backdrop - Visa has recently advanced stablecoin settlement and programmable payment tooling (including a June announcement around stablecoin infrastructure, tokenized deposits and AI‑directed transactions), and this partnership could link that work with digital-asset settlement — but no technical integrations have been disclosed. - South Korea’s domestic stablecoin rules remain under debate. Lawmakers are still determining who may issue won‑pegged tokens and whether banks must be involved. Any dollar‑stablecoin remittance or payment services would also touch foreign-exchange, AML and virtual-asset regulations, and Dunamu acknowledged that compliance requirements will shape how the partnership evolves. - Meanwhile, South Korean firms continue to run stablecoin payment trials while waiting for clearer national legislation. Dunamu is also reported to be exploring separate stablecoin infrastructure projects with local tech and financial partners. Bottom line This is a joint research and business-development framework, not an operational product. The next verifiable milestone will be a formal pilot or product announcement that specifies the stablecoin, supported markets, blockchain, custody arrangement and customer eligibility. Until those details are released, the partnership outlines intent and exploration rather than a live stablecoin payment service. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news