Key Highlights
- Hanwha Investment & Securities plans to launch its Digital Asset Platform (DAP) in the first half of 2027, focusing on tokenized real estate and IP.
- The platform aims to merge the speed of decentralized finance with the investor safeguards of traditional financial institutions.
- Leveraging its $13 million investment in Kresus Labs, Hanwha intends to use Southeast Asian hubs to bypass domestic regulatory bottlenecks.
Hanwha Investment & Securities is pushing deeper into blockchain territory, announcing plans to roll out a digital asset platform centered on real-world assets (RWAs) next year.
The South Korean brokerage, part of the sprawling Hanwha Group, aims to launch the platform in the first half of 2027. It will initially focus on tokenizing private-market assets such as real estate and intellectual property, targeting high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) and the newly wealthy who have struggled to access such opportunities in traditional markets.
Son Jong-min, head of future strategy at Hanwha Investment & Securities, laid out the vision Tuesday at the ETHCapital Summit in Seoul’s Gangnam district. Speaking at the event held April 15 at the Raum Art Center, Son argued that investor habits are shifting rapidly and traditional finance firms must adapt or risk being left behind.
Son pointed to heavyweights like BlackRock applying blockchain to asset management, while major exchanges including Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange prepare for tokenized stock trading.
While decentralized finance (DeFi) has highlighted clear pain points in conventional systems, it falls short on user experience and investor safeguards, Son noted. He proposed “TraDeFi” as a solution, a hybrid that merges DeFi’s speed and efficiency with the trust and regulatory protections of established financial institutions.
The DAP framework and rollout
At the heart of the strategy is the Digital Asset Platform, or DAP. The platform seeks to tokenize global RWAs, making illiquid holdings more accessible while maintaining institutional-grade compliance.
The firm also plans overseas expansion, leveraging its Southeast Asian operations and forging partnerships in tokenization, distribution and custody. Global hubs will play a key role as the company waits for clearer regulatory green lights.
The move builds on earlier steps. In late 2025, Hanwha signed an MOU with U.S.-based Kresus Labs and later invested about $13 million to advance enterprise wallets and RWA infrastructure. The firm also unveiled plans to invest in the RWA sector in March. Its additional collaborations, including with data firm Xangle, underscore a broader push into Web3.
With a market capitalization of over 1.6 trillion won (roughly $1.15 billion) as of mid-April 2026, Hanwha Investment & Securities is betting that blending traditional strengths with blockchain innovation will secure its place in the next era of finance.
Also read: Ripple Partners With Kyobo Life to Modernize South Korea’s Tokenization Market
