Stablecoin News – On July 13, 2025, South Korea’s Financial Services Commission announced a partnership between Hyundai and the Hedera network to develop a won-pegged stablecoin pilot. The initiative, part of South Korea’s crypto-friendly regulatory shift, aims to enhance digital payments and trade finance in a $1.6 trillion export market, leveraging Hedera’s hashgraph technology for high-speed, low-cost transactions.
HBAR, trading at $0.1967 with a $8.34 billion market cap, saw a 10% price uptick, reflecting optimism about Hedera’s enterprise adoption.
The pilot, targeting automotive and electronics trade with ASEAN nations, uses Hedera’s Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) system, which processes thousands of transactions per second, cutting costs from 6.6% to under 0.1%, per the Atlantic Council.
Hyundai’s financial arm will issue the stablecoin, backed 1:1 by won reserves under strict FSC oversight, aligning with the EU’s MiCA framework. Hedera’s council, including Google and IBM, bolsters credibility, positioning it against dollar-based stablecoins like USDT, which holds a 65% share of the $255 billion market.
The BIS’s June 24 warning about stablecoin risks to monetary sovereignty underscores the need for regulation, which South Korea addresses through sandbox testing and AML/KYC compliance.
The pilot competes with Singapore’s SGD-pegged stablecoin by DBS Bank and Hong Kong’s $1.2 billion HKD-pegged issuance, both leveraging Hedera’s infrastructure. Challenges include global regulatory fragmentation and competition from Solana-based stablecoins, but Hedera’s scalability and enterprise focus give it an edge.
The partnership follows Hedera’s Project Acacia success, with analysts forecasting HBAR could hit $0.29 if it breaks $0.21 resistance. South Korea’s initiative could drive regional stablecoin adoption, but success hinges on interoperability and regulatory alignment.
Hyundai’s involvement signals Hedera’s growing role in digital finance, potentially elevating HBAR’s market position if the pilot scales.
