From Music Royalties to Power Plants: Korea’s Token Securities Race Begins
AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication
South Korean brokerages are racing to secure an early advantage in the upcoming security token offering (STO) market slated for February. They plan to launch with conventional securities—private money‑market funds, high‑grade private bonds, and unlisted shares—to demonstrate system stability and gain capital‑market confidence. Firms such as Shinhan Securities have already partnered with Musicow to manage a 40 billion‑won music intellectual‑property fund, while others eye music royalties, carbon credits, renewable‑energy infrastructure, and unlisted shares as future retail products. Discussions also cover securitizing power‑plant sales, ships, data centers, and slicing real‑estate financing into tokenized units, aiming to bring non‑standard assets onto blockchain ledgers for both retail and institutional investors. The global STO market is projected to reach $16–30 trillion by 2030, and domestic growth hinges on offering attractive investment returns beyond simple dividends.
💡 Why It Matters
- · By tokenizing diverse physical and intellectual assets, Korean brokerages could unlock new liquidity pools and broaden investment options, reshaping how non‑tradable assets are traded and potentially setting a global benchmark for the emerging STO ecosystem.
