▶ Introduction
The digital asset industry is rapidly shifting from a narrative-driven market to one centered on execution and profitability.
Institutional capital is concentrating on core assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, while projects without sustainable revenue models are increasingly being eliminated from the market.
At the same time, stablecoins and real-world asset tokenization (RWA) are emerging as key forces reshaping global payments, asset management, and financial infrastructure.
Fintech companies and traditional financial institutions are also becoming new gateways into the industry, accelerating structural change across the ecosystem.
Korea is now entering a major transition phase within this global trend.
Although the number of users on domestic KRW-denominated exchanges reached a record high of 11.13 million at the end of 2025, growth in new users and trading activity slowed sharply, reflecting weakening retail-driven momentum.
The regulatory environment is likewise at a turning point.
While the Virtual Asset User Protection Act has established a foundation for investor protection, key issues—including KRW-based stablecoins, taxation frameworks, and the expanding role of exchanges—remain under discussion, even as the market moves ahead of regulation in some areas.
Against this backdrop, “Tokenomy Korea 2026” will bring together global financial institutions, digital asset companies, and legal experts to examine Korea’s strategic direction amid the industry’s transformation.
The forum will focus on three core themes: the rise of an institution-led market, the emergence of a profit-driven ecosystem, and the growing role of digital assets as financial infrastructure.
▶ Overview
Title : Tokenomy Korea 2026
Theme : Investment Portfolio New Wave: “The Institutionalization of Crypto”
Date : June 11(Thu), 2026, 09:00~12:20
Venue : Conference Hall, Korea Exchange
Host : The Financial News, Digital Asset eXchange Alliance(DAXA)
Sponsors : Blockchain and Law Society
Inquiry : Tokenomy Korea Secretariat
TEL. 02-6965-0025 / E-mail. 8amwon@fnnews.com
| Time | Section | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30 - 09:00 | Registration | |
| 09:00 - 09:20 | Opening | Opening Remarks Jeon, Seon Ik Vice Chairman, The Financial News Congratulatory Remarks Kang, Jun Hyun Member of the National Policy Committee of the National Assembly Welcoming Remarks Oh, Se Jin Chairman, Digital Asset eXchange Alliance (DAXA) |
| 09:20 - 09:40 | Keynote |
CRYPTO IN TRANSITION: THE EXPANDING ROLE OF INSTITUTIONAL CAPITAL Catherine Chen Head of VIP & Institutional, Binance |
| 09:40 - 10:00 | The Future Transformation of Financial Markets Joseph Chalom CEO, Sharplink |
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| 10:00 - 10:20 | Real-World Asset Tokenization (RWA) and the Shift in Investment Paradigms Christopher Jensen Director of Digital Assets Research, Franklin Templeton |
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| 10:20 - 10:35 | Speech |
Rebuilding Financial Infrastructure Avery Ching Co-Founder & CEO, Aptos Labs |
| 10:35 - 10:50 | Global Business Strategies in the Era of RWA and Stablecoins Kim, Kyoung Ho Digital Assets Center Leader, Deloitte Korea |
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| 10:50 - 11:05 | Korea's Financial Sector: Digital-Asset Adoption Strategy Kang, Byung Ha MD, Strategic Planning Unit, Meritz Securities |
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| 11:05 - 11:20 | 2026: The Dawn of Onchain Finance Leem, Min Ho Senior Manager, Digital Assets Business Team, Mirae Asset Securities |
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| 11:20 - 11:35 | The Programmable Balance Sheet: Tokenized Deposits & Stablecoins Lee, Eun Jin Sales Director APAC, Ripple |
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| 11:35 - 11:50 | Trusted Infrastructure Bridging Web3 and Finance Song, Won Jun Crypto Product Lead, UPbit (Dunamu) |
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| 11:50 - 12:20 | Panel Discussion | Global Standards and Korea’s Strategic Positioning Moderator Cho Su Han Compliance Officer, Next Securities Panelists Hong, Eun Pyo Chief, Blockchain and Law Society / Partner, Lee&Ko Steve Young Kim APAC Business Development Director, Binance Shin, Bum Jun Chair, Security Token Council, Korea Fintech Industry Association (Chief Executive Officer, Buysell Standards Inc.) Kang, Hyun Koo Partner, Lee & Ko |
※The Program is subject to change.
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Catherine ChenHead of VIP & Institutional, Binance
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Joseph ChalomCEO, SharpLink
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Christopher JensenDirector of Digital Assets Research, Franklin Templeton
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Avery ChingCo Founder & CEO, Aptos Labs
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Kim, Kyoung HoDigital Assets Center Leader, Deloitte Korea
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Kang, Byung HaMD, Strategic Planning Unit, Meritz Securities
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Leem, Min HoSenior Manager, Digital Assets Business Team, Mirae Asset Securities
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Lee, Eun JinSales Director APAC, Ripple
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Song, Won JunCrypto Product Lead, UPbit (Dunamu)
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Cho, Su HanCompliance Officer, Next Securities
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Hong, Eun PyoChief, Blockchain and Law Society / Partner, Lee&Ko
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Steve Young KimDirector, Business Development, APAC, Binance
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Shin, Bum JunChair, Security Token Council, Korea Fintech Industry Association (Chief Executive Officer, Buysell Standards Inc.)
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Kang, Hyun KooPartner, Lee & Ko
Catherine is Head of VIP & Institutional at Binance, where she oversees global coverage of the exchange’s most sophisticated clients, ranging from individual traders and mid-sized proprietary teams to global financial institutions. Prior to joining Binance, Catherine spent 15 years in traditional finance across bulge brackets including Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan, specializing in structured derivatives and derivatives solutions. Catherine holds an Executive MBA from Kellogg-HKUST as well as dual BA degrees in Economics and International Relations from National Taiwan University.
Joseph Chalom is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sharplink (Nasdaq: SBET), having joined the company in July 2025. With over 20 years of experience at BlackRock, where he served as Managing Director and Head of Strategic Ecosystem Partnerships, he was instrumental in launching some of the largest digital asset products in history — including the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), which became the largest Bitcoin ETF globally; the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA), the leading spot Ethereum ETF in the U.S.; and BUIDL, the first tokenized U.S. Treasury fund built on Ethereum
Education, etc. • Audit & Assurance / Financial Service Group • Deloitte London Office (’11~’12) • Member of the Insurance Accounting Committee, Actuarial Society (’19~) • Member of the Virtual Currency Task Force, Korea Accounting Standards Board(’22) • Member of the Virtual Asset Audit Support Task Force, Korean Institute of Certified Public Accountants (‘22~) • Member of the COFIX Management Committee, Korea Federation of Banks (’23~) • Member of the Virtual Asset Committee, Korean Accounting Association (‘24~) • Member of the MyData Billing Calculation Council, Korea Credit Information Services(24~) • Head of Deloitte Digital Assets Center (‘24~) Certificate • KICPA, KICTA Educatio, etc. • Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, Yonsei University / Master of Business Administration, Yonsei University • Adjunct Professor, Department of Business Administration, Yonsei University (‘10~’16) • Completed Blockchain and Digital Assets Program, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) • Completed Digital Assets Expert Program, Sogang University External • Contribution to Yonhap Infomax – Why Timely Institutional Integration of Digital Assets is Necessary Activities • Contribution to Maeil Business Economy – Blockchain Leading a New Financial Paradigm | Despite Luna Incident Concerns, Technology is the ‘Accelerator’ • Contribution to Bridge Economy – Enhancing Supply Chain Transparency Using Blockchain • Contribution to Monthly Hydrogen Economy – Blockchain Technology, a ‘Game Changer’ for Carbon Emission Management in the Shipping Industry • Appearance on Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s YouTube Channel TradeTV, ‘The Supply Chain Revolution Brought by Blockchain Technology • Lecture on ‘Blockchain and Cryptocurrency’ at Ewha Womans University’s Women Outside Director Professional Program • Lecture on ‘Understanding Virtual Assets and Blockchain’ at the Audit Committee Forum • Multiple lectures on ‘Blockchain and Virtual Assets’ for financial institutions including KB Financial Group
Professional Experience • Over 15 years of asset management and trading experience in securities and insurance companies • Fixed Income book management : Achieved the best return in the industry • OTC derivatives and alternative investment management Structured securities structuring and trading (both traditional assets and digital assets) • In house macro research: Cryptocurrency, Fixed income, equities, commodities and credit, etc. • Head of Digital Asset Trading, Operations, Sales, Business Development, and Research • Seoul National University Mechanical Engineering, B.S. • Seoul National University Finance, M.A.
Senior Manager, Digital Assets Business Team, Mirae Asset Securities Digital Asset Research Analyst, Research Center, Shinyoung Securities Co., Ltd. Family Office, Shinyoung Securities Co., Ltd.
Career • 2025–Present: Sales Director, APAC – Ripple • 2023–2025: Sales Director, APAC – Fireblocks • 2022–2023: Head of Partnerships – Klaytn Foundation • 2019–2022: Associate Director – ANZ Banking Group • 2017–2019: Relationship Manager – Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation • 2014–2017: Regional Account Manager – Barclays Investment Bank • 2012–2014: Associate – Goldman Sachs • 2007–2011: Financial Sales – Bloomberg Publication • 2025: The Stablecoin Revolution: A New Era of Wealth (Dasan Books) Academic Background • MBA, Singapore Management University
Jun Song is the Crypto Product Lead at Dunamu, where he oversees Upbit Staking, Upbit Custody, GIWA Chain, and GIWA Wallet. He completed the 7th Software Maestro program, building a strong foundation in both software development and product planning, and began his blockchain career in 2019 with a digital asset custody service. Since joining Dunamu in 2021, he has led the growth of Upbit Staking. Today, he drives the expansion of Dunamu's blockchain services and has established himself as a key figure in Korea's blockchain industry.
- Seoul National University, B.A. in Law - Attorney-at-Law (Judicial Research and Training Institute, 45th Class) - Hanwha Life Insurance, Future Innovation Division - KakaoBank, Legal Affairs - Uprise, Chief Strategy Officer & Chief Legal Officer - Next Securities, Chief Compliance Officer
Hyunkoo Kang is a leading partner in the Fintech Group. He is an expert in the areas of financial compliance, asset management, financial institutions, banking, insurance, capital markets compliance, and the resolution of disputes in capital markets. Prior to joining Lee & Ko as a partner in the Financial Services & Compliance Team, Hyung Koo Kang worked as a financial compliance legal counsel for the Financial Supervisory Service from 2002 to 2007. As an expert in financial compliance, fintech, and digital finance, Mr. Kang handles complex banking, securities, insurance and non-banking licenses, financial legal compliance issues in connection with credit cards, etc., financial organization and capital market sanction, foreign exchange regulations and the resolution of disputes in financial and capital markets. In addition, Mr. Kang has solid experience in M&A of financial institutions and relevant licensing as well as in-depth knowledge of the Electronic Financial Transactions Act as well as other financial related laws and regulations. He currently serves as a member of the Disciplinary Review Committee of the Financial Supervisory Commission. Positions and matters handled at Financial Supervisory Service and Financial Supervisory Commission Dispute Resolution Department (2002-2003) ‒ Financial dispute resolution matters Financial Supervisory Commission Policy Affairs Department (2003-2004) ‒ Financial holding company licensing matters General Prosecution Department, Banking Sanctions Review Department and Non-Banking Review Team ‒ Financial organization investigation, foreign exchange investigation and sanctions review matters Sanctions Review Board of Investigation and Administration Team (2005-2006) ‒ Capital markets investigation, disclosure investigations, accounting supervision and sanction review matters Legal Department (2006-2007) ‒ Financial litigation matters [Work Experience] 2007-Present Lee & Ko 2021-Present Member of the Bank of Korea Digital Currency Legal Advisory Committee on Central Bank Digital Currency 2020-Present Member of Enforcement Review Committee of Financial Supervisory Service 2019-Present Member of Academic Committee of Korean Bar Association (Chairperson of Commercial Sub- Committee) 2019-Present Panel for Financial Support for Companies Participating in Financial Regulation Testbed 2019-Present Member of Advertising Review Committee of General Insurance Association 2018-Present Member of Electronic Financial Transaction Act Policy Improvement Committee of Financial Services Commission 2017-Present Member of Blockchain Review Committee of Korea Internet &Security Agency 2017-Present Member of International Committee of Seoul Bar Association 2016-Present Director of Korea Financial Law Association 2015-Present Financial Supervisory Service Mutual Savings Bank Operations Evaluation Committee Member 2015-Present Korean Securities Law Institute Director 2013 Greenberg Traurig New York Office 2009-2011 Korean Bar Association International Committee Member 2002-2007 Financial Supervisory Service 2002 Judicial Research &Training Institute, Supreme Court of Korea
| Venue | Korea Exchange Seoul Office 76 Yeouinaru-ro (Yeouido-dong), Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Korea |
|---|---|
| By Subway | Yeouido Station (Subway Line 5 / Line 9) Take Exit 5 and walk approximately 200 meters toward Yeouinaru Station. After crossing the crosswalk, continue straight for another 150 meters. The venue is located on the right-hand side. |
| By Bus |
Bus Stop: Korea Exchange Circular Bus: 62 |
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02-6965-0025
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