Some of the global leaders considered how financial systems will evolve, but Dunamu CEO Oh Kyoung-suk presented Korea’s blueprint for a new era of financial infrastructure built on blockchain and stablecoins at the global stage of APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025. His address captured what many investors and policymakers are beginning to recognize—Korea’s fintech maturity may soon shape how the world transacts, invests, and builds trust.
Dunamu CEO Speaks at APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025
At the APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025, held from October 28 to 31 in Gyeongju, Dunamu CEO Oh Kyoung-suk joined global tech and finance leaders to outline how blockchain and stablecoins could reshape the global financial order.
Representing Korea’s fintech sector, he delivered a keynote speech titled “The Future of Currency and Global Financial Market.”
“The adoption of blockchain and stablecoins is still at an early stage, but their growth potential is enormous. In this blockchain revolution, Korea and Dunamu have the opportunity to work with global partners to build a new financial order.”
The summit gathered top global executives, including Jensen Huang (NVIDIA), Matt Garman (AWS), Simon Kahn (Google Asia-Pacific), Simon Milner (Meta), Anthony Cook (Microsoft), Jane Fraser (Citigroup), and David Hill (Deloitte Asia-Pacific)—underscoring the event’s stature as one of APEC’s most influential business forums.
Dunamu CEO at APEC 2025: Trust, Digital Assets, and the Evolution of Money
At the APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025, Dunamu CEO Oh Kyoung-suk began with a reflection on how the definition of money has evolved:
“The history of money is about how the guarantor of its value has changed. If fiat currency relied on national institutions for trust, in the digital asset era, that trust is guaranteed by algorithms and network consensus.”
He noted that as the form of money evolves, transaction costs fall and markets expand. The coexistence of fiat and digital assets, he said, represents a complementary phase of financial evolution.
Globally, 560 million people now hold digital assets, and the top 21 digital wallets have exceeded 1.2 billion downloads. Bitcoin, once a fringe innovation, now ranks as the seventh-largest asset in the world, surpassing major equities and commodities by market value.
Blockchain and Stablecoins: Building the Foundation of a New Financial Order
According to CEO Oh Kyoung-suk, blockchain’s distributed ledger system eliminates the need for centralized intermediaries while ensuring transaction transparency and trust through network verification. He said,
“Once recorded, data cannot be changed, allowing individuals to truly own their information. That’s why blockchain is often called the ‘future of finance.’”
He identified stablecoins as the bridge connecting blockchain to traditional finance. With a global market capitalization of approximately USD 300 billion, stablecoins are transforming financial infrastructure, enabling Web3-based services in lending, asset management, and capital markets.
At the APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025, Dunamu CEO Oh Kyoung-suk also emphasized their role in expanding financial inclusion, providing access to the world’s 1.3 billion unbanked population.
“Exchange-based stablecoins dominate global market share, showing that exchanges remain at the center of the new financial ecosystem. Korea and Dunamu can play a key role in leading this blockchain-based transformation.”
Dunamu’s Strategy: Exchange Platform and Global Financial Infrastructure
Oh Kyoung-suk then outlined four core initiatives during his speech the APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025, positioning Dunamu at the forefront of fintech innovation:
- GIWA Chain – a blockchain optimized for finance, supporting stablecoin issuance and circulation.
- GIWA Wallet – a platform connecting Web2 and Web3 environments for seamless digital transactions.
- VerifyVASP – a global travel rule solution linking 150 institutions across 30 countries, verifying billions in digital asset transactions.
- Upbit Custody – a digital asset custody service designed for institutional investors.
Together, these initiatives signify Dunamu’s strategic shift beyond its exchange roots toward becoming a global blockchain-based financial infrastructure company.
Korea’s Opportunity in the Global Fintech Landscape
The participation of Dunamu CEO Oh Kyoung-suk at the APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025 showcases how Korean fintech firms are moving from regional innovators to global infrastructure builders.
Now that South Korea has officially lifted its venture investment ban on virtual asset firms, blockchain and stablecoins are reshaping global finance. With strong regulatory frameworks, advancing digital innovation, and growing fintech exports, Korea’s ecosystem has the potential to emerge as a leading force in the Asia-Pacific financial transformation.
Dunamu’s strategy reflects a broader national ambition: transforming Korea from a fast follower in technology to a global standard-setter in Web3 trust and digital asset governance. This evolution presents opportunities to integrate blockchain innovation into cross-border trade, payment, and compliance systems.
Designing Trust, Not Just Currency
Concluding his keynote at the APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025, the Dunamu CEO framed blockchain as a shift in the philosophy of finance:
“We are no longer in the era of designing money, but in the era of designing trust. Dunamu will begin this journey in Korea, expand through Asia, and build a new model for the future of currency and the global financial market.”
This is a message to global leaders that with this new emerging fintech identity, South Korea is no longer adapting to change, but actively shaping the architecture of the next financial era.
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