Samsung SDS cooperates with Dunamu to build stablecoin infrastructure

Samsung SDS and Dunamu discuss cooperation in stablecoin infrastructure and digital asset systems

Samsung SDS, an IT services subsidiary of Samsung Group, said it is exploring cooperation with Dunamu, operator of South Korea's Upbit Exchange, in stablecoin infrastructure, digital asset systems and artificial intelligence-driven payment models. According to Samsung SDS CEO Li Junxi's speech during a second-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, the two sides discussed the direction of the above cooperation.

At the same time, Samsung Electronics is also continuing to expand its digital asset business layout and plans to add stablecoin support to Samsung's wallet in the near future. Together, these initiatives demonstrate that Samsung-related entities are promoting regulated digital financial infrastructure rather than purely retail-oriented crypto capabilities.

Core Points

Samsung SDS is in talks with Dunamu on stablecoin infrastructure and broader digital asset system development. CEO Li Junxi positioned the cooperation as an expansion of infrastructure capabilities rather than a separate financial investment. Several Samsung affiliates have established ties with Dunamu: Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS and Samsung Credit Card agreed in May 2026 to jointly acquire a total of 4% of Dunamu's shares. Samsung SDS's second-quarter results showed that both its cloud services and AI-related services achieved growth, providing business impetus for the digital financial layout. South Korea's regulatory direction of stablecoins remains a key variable in the development of such infrastructure cooperation.

Samsung SDS and Dunamu explore stablecoins and digital financial infrastructure

During the second quarter earnings conference call, Samsung SDS CEO Lee Junxi said that the company is discussing potential cooperation with Dunamu in stablecoin infrastructure, digital asset systems and artificial intelligence-based payment business models. Li Junxi also mentioned that Samsung SDS's own work on securities tokenization and full-process verification of stablecoins is a strong proof that it believes that this cooperation will consolidate its position in the field of digital asset infrastructure.

Li Junxi pointed out that Samsung SDS has obtained "differentiated business capabilities" through the Korea Securities Depository's tokenized securities platform project and end-to-end verification of the entire process of stablecoins from issuance to settlement. The company's goal is to combine its IT services, cloud and security capabilities with Dunamu's blockchain technology.

In its second-quarter earnings record, Samsung SDS said that the goal of the cooperation is to leverage the respective advantages of the two companies to "lead this market." However, Samsung SDS did not provide more details about the timetable, specific technical methods or the scope of potential commercial products.

It has been previously reported that Samsung Electronics plans to add stablecoin support to Samsung wallets, and this latest development shows that the Samsung ecosystem is integrating infrastructure capabilities with consumer-facing wallets. Samsung Wallet will serve as the distribution layer, while stablecoin infrastructure and enterprise-class digital asset systems are often behind the scenes-supporting issuance, settlement, custody integration and compliance-oriented workflows.

Previous shareholding deepens the relationship: Strategic intent rather than financial intent

The talks with Dunamu come after Samsung affiliates have increased their investment in South Korea's digital assets sector. In May 2026, Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS and Samsung Credit Card agreed to jointly acquire a total of 4% shares in Dunamu. The deal strengthens existing business ties and shows that Samsung-related companies are moving beyond the pilot phase.

In the latest second quarter conference call, Li Junxi allegedly characterized Samsung SDS's investment in Dunamu as a strategic investment rather than a purely financial investment. He said the two companies plan to refine potential business models for digital financial infrastructure, which suggests that future cooperation may move beyond infrastructure experimentation and enter a more explicit stage of commercialization.

Samsung SDS did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Dunamu declined to comment. This limits public information on the progress of negotiations or whether agreement has been reached on specific use cases.

How Samsung SDS cloud and AI expansion supports digital finance plans

Samsung SDS's ambitions in stablecoins and digital assets are presented together with the overall growth of its cloud services and AI services. In second-quarter earnings report and related data, Samsung SDS reported second-quarter revenue of 3.72 trillion won (approximately US$2.6 billion), a year-on-year increase of 5.9%. The company pointed out that cloud business is the main growth driver, with cloud revenue increasing by 17% year-on-year, and external cloud business revenue increasing by 75%.

Samsung SDS attributes part of the growth in external clouds to demand for its cloud platform and graphics processor-as-a-service (GPUaaS). This focus is important because stablecoin infrastructure and tokenized financial systems often rely on the same enterprise-level capabilities-secure custody, scalable computing, identity and access control, and reliability under transaction loads.

The company also revealed plans to expand AI infrastructure capacity: from about 110 megawatts currently to 230 megawatts in 2029 and more than 800 megawatts in 2031. If implemented, the plan will further consolidate Samsung SDS's ability to provide data-intensive services for AI-driven financial workflows, including risk analysis, fraud detection, and automated settlement monitoring.

Nonetheless, investors and builders should distinguish between infrastructure readiness and regulatory authorization. The use of stablecoins in retail payments, fund management, or tokenized assets often depends on the compliance framework and the specific licensing and regulatory models of the relevant jurisdiction.

What this means for South Korea's digital financial ecosystem

South Korea is gradually advancing clearer regulation of stablecoins and cryptocurrencies, and industry participants are paying close attention to how these rules will translate into practical, compliant payment and settlement deployments. Previous reports pointed out that a South Korean report proposed stablecoin rules ahead of the broader legal framework for cryptocurrencies.

In this context, Samsung SDS focuses on the full-process end-to-end verification of stablecoins from issuance to settlement, seemingly preparing to meet technical and compliance requirements. The company is not targeting speculative applications, but is building capabilities to support regulated processes when the legal environment allows or clarifies specific models.

At the same time, the actual impact of the collaboration will depend on what the "AI-based payment business model" ultimately includes. AI can be used for customer authentication, compliance monitoring, market surveillance and payment risk assessment, but acceptable use boundaries will depend on data policies and ultimately regulatory approaches.

For traders and users, these initiatives may not immediately change daily transaction volumes or retail channels. But infrastructure collaborations are critical for developers and institutional stakeholders because they affect integration schedules, operational reliability, and the availability of custody/settlement tools available to exchanges and financial platforms.

Next, the key question is whether Samsung SDS and Dunamu will move from exploratory cooperation to specific deployments-especially in the stablecoin issuance/settlement workflow and wallet or payment integration related to Samsung consumer products. Observers should also pay attention to updates on the progress of South Korea's stablecoin regulation, as the allowed use cases will determine which infrastructure work can be commercialized.