South Korea Plans Corporate Crypto Rules Without USDT and USDC Access

Key Insights:

• South Korea’s draft corporate crypto rules are expected to exclude stablecoins like USDT and USDC from permitted investment use.
• Authorities are referring to the foreign exchange law, which has not yet adopted stablecoins as a valid external payment means.
• Some firms reportedly use personal wallets or overseas exchanges for stablecoin payments.

South Korea is preparing corporate crypto trading rules that are expected to exclude stablecoins such as USDT and USDC from permitted investment use. According to the latest crypto news, regulators are linking the decision to the Foreign Exchange Transaction Act. The law still does not recognize stablecoins as approved external payment instruments. Some firms are also reportedly using personal wallets or overseas exchanges to handle stablecoin payments outside formal domestic channels.

Crypto News: Draft Rules Narrow the List of Permitted Assets

In recent crypto news, guidelines are being prepared for listed firms and registered professional investment corporations. These entities may enter the digital asset market for investment and financial purposes. Authorities are moving ahead with the framework as part of wider efforts to open the market to corporate participants under stricter standards.

Financial regulators are expected to keep stablecoins outside the permitted scope during the early stage of the system. The reported approach reflects caution as policymakers seek to limit broad corporate exposure to digital assets at the start of the framework. The guidelines are expected to be released after progress on the Digital Asset Basic Act, which remains tied to the timing of the broader policy rollout.

Foreign Exchange Law Remains a Key Barrier

South Korea’s current foreign exchange law is a central reason for the expected exclusion. Under the Foreign Exchange Transaction Act, foreign payment instruments must, in principle, be handled through designated foreign exchange banks. Stablecoins are not yet recognized under that structure as approved external payment instruments. Regulators, therefore, view their inclusion in corporate crypto rules as inconsistent with the legal framework that is already in force.

A partial amendment to the law was submitted to the National Assembly in October last year. That proposal includes provisions that would recognize stablecoins as a means of payment. This South Korean bill is still under review. Until that process is completed, regulators appear unwilling to include stablecoins in guidelines that would allow listed companies to hold or use them in an official investment setting.

Crypto News: Companies Sought Access for Practical Use

Crypto news states that some listed companies had reportedly asked for stablecoins to be included in the permitted range. Firms with a large share of overseas trade are said to value assets such as USDC for settlement and hedging. Stablecoins are widely used in global crypto markets because they can move quickly across borders and often involve lower transfer costs than traditional methods.

At present, domestic companies cannot open digital asset trading accounts for official corporate use in South Korea. That has limited their direct access to stablecoins through domestic channels. Even so, some firms are reported to have used personal wallets or overseas exchange accounts when making payments abroad.

Those practices have added urgency to the debate, as authorities seek to define what companies may and may not do under the coming rules.

South Korean Trading Remains Possible

Even if stablecoins are excluded from the corporate investment guidelines, trading them would not become impossible in every case. Companies can still buy and sell stablecoins through tools such as personal wallets or overseas over-the-counter platforms. That means the expected rules would focus more on what is officially permitted for corporate investment and financial activity inside the regulated framework.

Regulators were reportedly cautious about drawing a detailed line around permitted investment assets. Still, they chose to provide direction due to concerns about broad or disorderly activity at the start of corporate participation in the market. According to people familiar with the process, the working-level task force on the corporate guidelines has completed its discussions. The final shape of the rules now appears linked to the progress of the Digital Asset Basic Act and related legislative review.

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