Shinhan Asset Management Launches Korean Won Tokenized Fund Pilot with Plume Network

Seoul, South Korea, August 14, 2026. Shinhan Asset Management, South Korea's largest asset manager with over $600 billion in assets under management, has launched a pilot program tokenizing Korean Won-denominated funds on Plume Network, a Layer 2 blockchain purpose-built for real-world asset infrastructure. The pilot, conducted under Financial Services Commission guidance issued in Q2 2026, represents the first major Korean institutional deployment of tokenized fund products, with an initial Phase 1 scope estimated at $500 million to $2 billion in AUM.

The announcement follows BlackRock's August 3, 2026 launch of tokenized money market funds on Ethereum by eleven days. South Korea's asset management sector totals $2.1 trillion, with institutional investors representing approximately 65% of that base. Until this pilot, Korean institutional investors lacked direct access to compliant tokenized asset infrastructure, despite the FSC's RWA tokenization guidelines released in Q2 2026.

Plume Network, which launched in Q4 2025 and currently holds an estimated $8.2 to $12.5 billion in total value locked, was selected for its compliance-first architecture, automated regulatory reporting tools, and native custody integration. The platform enables same-day settlement, reducing the industry-standard T+2 cycle to T+0. Plume's RWA segment accounts for 70 to 75% of its total TVL, with 340% year-over-year growth preceding this announcement.

The FSC's Q2 2026 RWA tokenization guidelines created the regulatory runway for this deployment, following a regional pattern that includes Singapore's MAS approval of tokenized fund infrastructure in June 2026 and Japan's FSA guidance on tokenized securities in July 2026.

Cross-border capital flows between Korea, ASEAN, and Japan total an estimated $150 to $300 billion annually, according to Bank of Korea and Asian Development Bank analysis. Tokenized settlement infrastructure could reduce friction on those flows by 40 to 60%, per the same analysis.

The pilot will proceed in phased stages. Phase 1 targets operational validation through Q4 2026, generating the performance data required for FSC review. A successful Phase 1 positions Shinhan for Phase 2 expansion toward $5 to $10 billion AUM, contingent on full regulatory approval expected in Q1 2027.

Operational considerations remain. Custody integration with Korea Securities Depository requires parallel infrastructure build-out, and Korean Won stablecoin liquidity — currently estimated at $8 to $12 billion — will need to scale to support fund sizes beyond $5 billion. Plume Network has commissioned third-party security audits and maintains redundant infrastructure.

About Shinhan Asset Management

Shinhan Asset Management is a subsidiary of Shinhan Financial Group and the largest asset manager in South Korea, with over $600 billion in assets under management across institutional and retail mandates. The firm manages a broad range of equity, fixed income, and alternative investment products for domestic and international clients.

About Plume Network

Plume Network is a Layer 2 blockchain infrastructure platform optimized for real-world asset tokenization. Launched in Q4 2025, the network provides compliance-first architecture, regulatory reporting automation, and custody integration designed for institutional deployment. Plume currently holds an estimated $8.2 to $12.5 billion in total value locked.