"Stablecoins Are the Next-Generation Payment Method"... Fintech Firms and Exchanges Heat Up Infrastructure Race

With the advent of the age of agentic AI, in which AI agents autonomously carry out economic activities without human intervention, stablecoins are rapidly emerging as next-generation financial infrastructure and a key means of payment. An AI agent is autonomous software that, once a user sets a specific goal, moves across multiple systems and data sources, understands the situation, and then independently calls the tools and apps needed to complete tasks. For example, if a user simply enters a budget and preference such as, "I want to buy a new set of golf wear for under 100,000 won by next month," the agent could evolve into a "shopping agent" that automatically searches various online malls and price comparison sites, factors in discounts and inventory, and then selects the optimal products and purchase timing before placing them in the cart. Industry players broadly agree that for AI agents to handle actual payments on their own, they will need a payment method that is faster and cheaper than existing fiat-currency systems.
According to industry sources on the 13th, Kakao Pay recently joined the x402 Foundation, a consortium working to standardize stablecoin payments between AI agents, as part of its push to gain an early lead in the agentic AI market. Danal, a major player in the domestic payments market, has also joined the Agentic AI Foundation, stepping into the competition to offer stablecoin-based payment services.
Sungwook Hong, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities, assessed, "AI agents are likely to grow into independent economic actors that not only process payments but also generate income and make expenditures on their own, based on stablecoins."
Korbit, a virtual asset exchange in which Mirae Asset Financial Group is currently seeking to acquire a stake, is moving in earnest into stablecoin-based payments in partnership with Galaxia Moneytree. The two companies are considering linking Korbit's trading infrastructure with Galaxia Moneytree's Moneytree app so that users can convert virtual assets held at Korbit into Moneytree cash and then use it to pay at online and offline merchants. Under this structure, Korbit would handle virtual asset liquidity provision and settlement, while Galaxia Moneytree would leverage its prepaid electronic payment license to provide the payment infrastructure. The partners plan to verify service stability and operating procedures through a proof of concept (PoC), and then pursue commercialization within the bounds of relevant laws and guidelines.
Lee Jun-ho, an analyst at Hana Securities, noted, "It is positive that domestically listed companies involved with stablecoins are joining global standards," and predicted, "All companies that move ahead with such businesses are likely to participate." He added, "Global firms, at the early stage of the AI agent economy, are forming alliances to build universal standards rather than adopting a single company's standard or internalizing it on their own, so it is more effective for Korean companies as well to adopt global standards."
Although the convergence of AI and stablecoins is accelerating, legal and regulatory issues remain a key variable. In the United States, whether the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025, a bill to regulate markets for virtual assets such as stablecoins, will pass in the second half of this year has become a major focus for the market.
Lee observed, "In the United States, as well as in major Asian markets such as Hong Kong and Japan, we are seeing a trend in which digital assets are moving beyond a supplementary means of payment and into the realm of regulated financial products." He went on, "In advanced markets, the incorporation of digital assets into the real economy is a set trajectory, and in Korea as well, the need for legislation will be strongly raised."
Industry participants are also looking ahead to a potential convergence between the tokenized securities (STO) market and AI agents. If structures emerge in which AI agents autonomously manage asset portfolios or use real-world asset tokens (RWA) as collateral for payments, the boundaries of fintech services are expected to become even more blurred.
A source in the virtual asset industry said, "There is ample potential for stablecoins to become the core payment method of the AI economy," but cautioned, "However, since we are still in the early stages of the infrastructure race, success or failure will likely be determined by how well regulations align and how complete the services are."
elikim@fnnews.com Kim Mi-hee Reporter