Mirae Asset Group has outlined plans to expand its digital asset operations to 150 trillion won, equivalent to roughly 108 to 109 billion dollars, and achieve profitability by 2027. The initiative centers on Digital X, the cryptocurrency exchange formerly known as Korbit that the group recently acquired.

Park Hyeon-joo, chairman and founder of Mirae Asset Financial Group, presented the strategy on August 26 during an employee event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul. The gathering marked the formal integration of Digital X staff into the broader organization following the ownership change.

Acquisition Completes Strategic Shift

Mirae Asset Consulting completed the purchase of a 97.15 percent stake in the exchange earlier this year. The deal, which received approval from South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission, represented the first acquisition of a cryptocurrency exchange by an affiliate of a traditional financial group in the country. Korbit, founded in 2013, was subsequently rebranded as Digital X.

Existing trading, deposit, withdrawal and account services continued without interruption after the change in ownership. Customer cash and virtual assets remain segregated from company assets in line with South Korea’s Virtual Asset User Protection Act.

The group positions Digital X as a core component of its Mirae Asset 3.0 strategy. This approach seeks to combine blockchain-based products with the firm’s established investment operations and large client base of approximately 1,500 trillion won, or about 1.09 trillion dollars.

Four Pillars of the Digital Asset Push

Park identified four primary areas of focus for the digital asset unit: cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, real-world assets and security token offerings. The group also intends to digitize physical assets such as gold, silver and electricity as it develops related financial products.

Digital X will handle cryptocurrency trading and related offerings while Mirae Asset leverages its existing financial operations and client relationships to advance stablecoin, real-world asset and tokenized securities initiatives. The overall model is described as an on-chain finance ecosystem that connects digital-native assets with tokenized versions of traditional holdings.

The company plans to support selected businesses through principal investment and to identify new financial products and services that can operate on blockchain networks. Digital X has stated it will maintain compliance systems covering anti-money laundering, know-your-customer requirements, information security and fraud detection as it expands.

Regulatory Backdrop in South Korea

The expansion occurs as South Korean authorities continue developing rules for digital assets. Detailed regulations for tokenized securities are being prepared ahead of amendments to the Capital Markets Act and Electronic Securities Act that take effect on February 4, 2027. Those changes are expected to incorporate distributed ledger systems into regulated securities infrastructure.

Infrastructure development is already underway. Samsung SDS has been contracted to build a production-ready token securities platform for the Korea Securities Depository, with completion timed to the new legal framework.

Stablecoin rules remain under negotiation. Discussions involve the potential roles of banks and non-bank firms in issuing won-denominated stablecoins, along with licensing, disclosure, internal controls and operational resilience requirements. The Bank of Korea has favored initial issuance through bank-led consortiums. A broader Digital Asset Basic Act is also under consideration, covering stablecoins, virtual asset service provider licensing and related market structures.

Other major South Korean financial groups have advanced parallel efforts in tokenized assets and stablecoin infrastructure, underscoring growing institutional interest in the sector. Mirae Asset has not provided specific details on token structures, blockchain networks, launch timelines or transaction sizes for its planned products.

South Korea maintains a substantial base of verified crypto users, and retail trading volumes in digital assets frequently compete with those on traditional stock exchanges. Ownership of a licensed exchange therefore represents a significant strategic asset for a financial conglomerate seeking to bridge conventional and blockchain-based finance.