Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Samsung SDS to build token securities platform for KSD
Samsung SDS headquarters in Songpa District, Seoul / Courtesy of Samsung SDS
By Lee Gyu-lee
Samsung SDS has won a contract to build and operate a tokenized securities platform for the Korea Securities Depository (KSD), marking a step toward expanding Korea’s digital asset infrastructure.
Tokenized securities are conventional financial assets, such as stocks, bonds or real estate, that are issued or recorded on distributed ledgers, such as blockchain, allowing ownership and rights to be tracked and transferred safely in digital form.
The structure simplifies post-trade processes and enables fractional ownership, making it easier for retail investors to participate.
Tokenized securities have been gaining traction as demand grows for tokenizing financial products and turning assets such as data, artwork and real estate into tradable digital instruments.
Under the project, KSD plans to connect its existing electronic securities account system with a blockchain-based ledger to strengthen issuance and rights management for tokenized securities, while preparing for future market expansion.
Samsung SDS will implement a total volume management system that monitors issuance and circulation of tokenized securities in real time, ensuring transparency across all transactions, which will allow market participants to trade with confidence.
The company will also build key infrastructure needed to run the platform, including a gateway system, a framework for operating and managing blockchain nodes and a distributed ledger system architecture.
It aims to complete the platform by February 2027, transitioning the current testbed, which has been used mainly for technology validation, into a full-scale system capable of handling live transactions and ensuring stable service operations.
Samsung SDS has been building its expertise in tokenized securities, carrying out a functional analysis project in 2024 and developing a testbed platform in 2025.
“Drawing on our experience in tokenized securities projects, blockchain and IT infrastructure, we will execute this initiative in a stable manner,” said Lee Jeong-heon, Samsung SDS’ strategic marketing office executive vice president.
“We aim to help vitalize the tokenized securities market and turn this project into a flagship success story in digital assets.”