South Korea to launch tokenized securities market in February 2027
Regulators unveiled a phased plan to digitize traditional assets on blockchain, starting with legal recognition on February 4. Conversely, AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron criticized Robinhood's unregistered stock tokens as outrageous.
The South Korean Financial Services Commission introduced a three-phase roadmap to develop infrastructure for tokenized securities issuance. The first phase begins on February 4, 2027, when updated laws will recognize tokenized securities as legal digitized forms of stocks and bonds. This framework covers institutional money market funds, bonds, unlisted stocks, and fractional investment securities. A subsequent update in September is planned to propose revisions to subordinate regulations before the second phase expands coverage to all publicly offered securities. The final phase aims for onchain payments linked to stablecoin settlement.
In related news of cryptocurrency markets, Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Entertainment Holdings, criticized Robinhood's tokenized stock offerings. Aron stated the company has no affiliation with Robinhood and described the offering as outrageous. He added that these stocks are not registered under US securities laws and may be subject to restrictions in Canada, Switzerland, and the UK. Robinhood co-founder Vlad Tenev responded by asking Aron to share his exact concerns.
