Bank of Korea Establishes Asset Tokenization Division to Advance Central Bank Digital Currency Initiatives

According to Bank of Korea, the central bank established an Asset Tokenization Division under its Digital Currency Department on August 5. The new division will oversee the tokenization of government bonds and other assets as part of the bank's central bank digital currency (CBDC) strategy.

The initiative is part of Project Hangang, which aims to create an integrated ledger platform combining central bank money, bank deposits, and tokenized assets. The bank plans to advance to phase two testing in the second half of 2026 with expanded participating banks and enhanced functionality. According to government plans announced earlier, a pilot program linking institutional CBDC and tokenized government bonds is scheduled to begin by the end of 2026.