At Korea Blockchain Week 2025, Intertangible took center stage to unpack one of the industry’s most critical shifts: the institutional transition from crypto speculation to real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. Moderated by Intertangible’s Una Softic, the panel featured key institutional architects: Yongjae Lee, Head of Digital Asset Business at Mirae Asset Securities, and Dr. Alvin Chia, Head of Digital Assets Innovation APEC at Northern Trust.
The core consensus was clear: the tokenization wave isn’t starting with exotic, novel assets—it’s starting with traditional finance.
Why TradFi Assets Lead the Tokenization Curve
While media headlines often focus on tokenizing fine art or K-pop IP, institutional balance sheets are moving toward traditional securities (bonds, equities, and VC funds). Risk and compliance officers require predictable payment schedules and structured dividend mechanics to build operational confidence in distributed ledger technology (DLT).
- Solving Capital Lock-ups: VC and hedge funds suffer from rigid liquidity constraints. Tokenization enables fractionalized secondary liquidity for locked capital.
- Operational Optimization: Existing securities don’t need to be broken to be upgraded; on-chain rails dramatically lower clearing costs, increase settlement speed, and heighten audit transparency.
- Gen-Z & Crypto-Native Retention: Younger wealth cohorts manage capital across DFi, stablecoins, and self-custody. TradFi firms must bridge crypto-native assets onto compliant ledgers to prevent structural asset flight.
Local Execution vs. Regional Fragmentation
South Korea is proving to be a formidable testbed. Mirae Asset Securities recently built Korea’s first institutional EVM-compatible tokenization platform, collaborating with the Korea Securities Depository (KSD) to execute full-lifecycle testbeds (minting, transferring, and burning tokens).
However, cross-border deployment across APAC faces regulatory friction:
| Jurisdiction | Key Strength | Current Structural Bottleneck |
| Hong Kong | Native primary issuance permitted | Secondary trading liquidity remains heavily restricted |
| Singapore | High institutional sandbox adoption | Native digital primary issuance frameworks are limited |
| South Korea | Robust institutional pilot testbeds | Direct institutional crypto holdings remain restricted |
As Dr. Alvin Chia highlighted, technical interoperability remains fragmented—institutions are split across Hyperledger Besu, R3 Corda, and public EVM chains. True cross-border liquidity will rely on policy harmonization led by supra-national entities like the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
As institutions move past testbeds and tackle cross-border policy alignment, Intertangible continues to lead the dialogue, bridging institutional architecture with decentralized infrastructure.