Shinhan Asset Management partners with Plume on tokenized fund pilot

South Korea’s Shinhan Asset Management signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with tokenization-focused blockchain network Plume to develop a proof of concept for a Korean won-denominated tokenized fund.

The pilot project will use a Shinhan won-denominated ultra-short-term bond fund as its underlying asset and BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized fund as a benchmark to test the issuance and distribution process, Shinhan said on Friday.

The companies will also test compliance requirements for tokenized investment products, including whitelist-based transfer restrictions, onchain operations, Know-Your-Customer checks and Anti-Money Laundering controls.

Shinhan said the pilot is intended to test the overseas use of won-denominated financial products in onchain markets that have largely developed around dollar-denominated assets.

In April, fellow Shinhan Financial Group affiliate Shinhan Card signed an MOU with the Solana Foundation to test stablecoin payment technology and explore the use of non-custodial wallets. Another group affiliate, Shinhan Bank, completed a stablecoin remittance pilot in July 2023.