DeutschFor a long time, the crypto industry was seen as a playground for startups, nerds, and risk-taking investors. Now, the corporations that previously preferred to keep their distance are pushing in more and more. The latest move comes from South Korea – and bears a name that practically everyone knows: Samsung.
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Three companies from the Samsung Group are jointly investing around $408 million in Dunamu, the parent company of South Korea’s largest crypto exchange, Upbit. This secures Samsung a total of four percent of the company. For the crypto market, this is far more than just an ordinary stake. It is a signal.
Samsung rediscovers crypto – and invests directly in an exchange
Because suddenly, the industry no longer seems like a rebellious alternative to the traditional financial system. It is increasingly becoming part of it. As South Korean media report, Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS, and Samsung Card are jointly acquiring around 1.39 million shares of Dunamu. The seller, of all companies, is the tech group Kakao, which was previously considered a major shareholder. Each Samsung subsidiary is pursuing its own strategy. Samsung Securities primarily wants to get involved in tokenized securities and digital assets.
Samsung SDS, on the other hand, is interested in Dunamu’s blockchain infrastructure, particularly for applications involving artificial intelligence, cloud technology, and data security. In contrast, Samsung Card’s plan sounds almost futuristic. There, a dedicated digital payment ecosystem is to be created together with Dunamu – apparently in preparation for upcoming stablecoin regulations in South Korea. The in-house financial platform “Monimo” could thus be much more strongly integrated into the crypto world in the future.
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Particularly exciting: Dunamu is already working on its own Ethereum-based Layer 2 blockchain called “Giwa.” The project is still in the testing phase. But the mere fact that Samsung is showing interest in this infrastructure is likely to be noted with interest in the industry. The deal is also no coincidence. Just a few weeks ago, Hana Bank, one of South Korea’s largest banks, announced it would acquire more than six percent of Dunamu for around $670 million. Other financial giants in the country are also positioning themselves increasingly aggressively in the crypto sector.
Crypto offensive from South Korea
The message behind it is clear: South Korea’s financial world is preparing for a future in which digital assets might no longer be a niche phenomenon, but part of everyday life. It’s no longer just about Bitcoin or speculative altcoins. The focus is increasingly on stablecoins, tokenized securities, and so-called on-chain payments – financial transactions directly via blockchain networks.
Even traditional banks now seem to have realized that they can no longer ignore the trend. While Western institutions often still seem hesitant, a race for the best positions in the crypto market is almost breaking out in South Korea. For Samsung, the move could be strategically enormously valuable. The group is not only building access to one of Asia’s largest crypto platforms but is also securing influence over a technology that many experts consider the next evolutionary stage of the financial system.
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And that is exactly the real point of this story: large industrial groups are not just buying into crypto exchanges. They are potentially buying into the infrastructure of the future financial world. What seemed like a digital experiment a few years ago is increasingly developing into a billion-dollar power struggle between established corporations. This time, Samsung is right in the middle of it – and is apparently no longer just watching. (mck)
