South Korea is preparing to reopen its digital asset market to corporate money, marking a major shift after nearly a decade of tight restrictions.

Financial regulators are updating long-standing guidelines that have barred companies from holding crypto assets since 2017, a period defined by concerns over money laundering and market instability.

The proposed changes would allow listed companies and professional investors to allocate a limited portion of their balance sheets to cryptocurrencies.

The move signals a recalibration of policy as Seoul seeks to strengthen its digital finance ecosystem while keeping risks contained through strict guardrails.

Corporate access returns

According to a report by the Financial Services Commission, legal entities will be permitted to invest up to 5% of their equity capital in crypto assets.

The information was reported by the Seoul Economic Daily.

Regulators are expected to release the final version of the guidelines in January or February.

Once in place, companies will be able to engage in virtual currency transactions for investment and financial purposes, ending a nine-year prohibition.

The FSC first outlined a phased easing of corporate crypto rules in February 2025 and shared the latest draft with its crypto working group on Jan. 6.

The approach reflects a gradual opening rather than a wholesale liberalisation.

Tight limits on assets

The planned framework places clear limits on where and how companies can invest.

Corporate purchases will be restricted to the top 20 crypto assets by market capitalisation, narrowing exposure to the most liquid and widely traded tokens.

Transactions will also be confined to South Korea’s five largest regulated exchanges, reinforcing oversight and compliance standards.

The inclusion of dollar-pegged stablecoins remains unresolved.

The report said regulators are still debating whether assets such as Tether’s USDT should be permitted under the new rules.

These conditions are designed to address the same financial crime risks that prompted the original ban, while recognising that the domestic market has matured since 2017.

Market impact expectations

The reopening of corporate access could unlock significant capital flows into crypto markets.

Seoul Economic Daily noted that the scale of potential investment runs into tens of trillions of won.

By way of illustration, the report pointed to internet giant Naver, which holds around 27 trillion won in equity capital.

Under the proposed cap, the company could theoretically deploy funds equivalent to roughly 10,000 Bitcoin.

Beyond direct market inflows, the change could alter corporate strategy.

Large South Korean firms have previously invested in digital assets overseas to avoid domestic restrictions.

Easing local rules may redirect that activity back home, supporting blockchain startups, digital asset treasuries, and related infrastructure.

Broader digital currency strategy

The corporate crypto shift sits alongside a wider push into digital currencies.

The government has outlined plans to execute 25% of national treasury transactions through a central bank digital currency by 2030 as part of its 2026 Economic Growth Strategy.

The government also plans to introduce a licensing regime for stablecoin issuers.

Under the proposal, issuers would need to maintain 100% reserve backing and provide legally guaranteed redemption rights for users.

Together, these measures suggest South Korea is seeking to integrate crypto assets, stablecoins, and a CBDC into a single regulatory framework rather than treating them as isolated experiments.

The post South Korea moves to reopen corporate crypto investing after long freeze appeared first on CoinJournal.

South Korea moves to reopen corporate crypto investing after long freeze

Source: https://coinjournal.net/news/south-korea-moves-to-reopen-corporate-crypto-investing-after-long-freeze/

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Polygon has become the latest blockchain to adopt USDT0 and XAUt0, the omnichain versions of Tether’s USDT and XAUT stablecoins, as the stablecoin market continues to expand rapidly.

The upgrade was announced by USDT0 operator Everdawn Labs, with the integration introducing new cross-chain liquidity standards built on LayerZero’s Omnichain Fungible Token (OFT) framework.

The move positions Polygon as a key hub for stablecoin payments, decentralised finance (DeFi), and enterprise use cases.

It follows a year in which Tether’s USDT reached a market capitalisation of more than $167 billion in August, and gold-backed XAUT crossed the $1 billion mark on 8 August.

USDT0 and XAUt0 expand across blockchains

USDT0 and XAUt0 differ from traditional stablecoins by not being directly backed by assets such as cash or gold. Instead, they are minted when users deposit USDT or XAUT into a specific contract on Ethereum, which serves as the “LockBox” chain for the ecosystem.

USDT0, launched in January 2025, functions as the omnichain version of USDT, enabling access to dollar-pegged liquidity across multiple networks. XAUt0 followed soon after, providing gold-backed liquidity in a similar format.

Polygon becomes the eleventh supported blockchain for USDT0 and the third for XAUt0, after earlier deployments on TON and Hyperliquid’s HyperEVM.

The tokens have expanded steadily: USDT0’s market capitalisation climbed to nearly $1.6 billion in just two months, while XAUt0 has so far reached $2.5 million, according to CoinGecko data.

Cointelegraph reports that Polygon’s integration also represents a milestone for XAUt0, marking its third blockchain expansion. By contrast, USDT0 has spread more widely, finding adoption across 11 blockchains since its January launch.

Why Polygon is central to stablecoin adoption

Polygon was selected for the integration due to its strong existing presence in the stablecoin ecosystem. The network already supports over $1 billion in USDT liquidity and more than six million wallets, making it a significant base for both retail and institutional adoption.

The network has also undergone major infrastructure upgrades such as AggLayer and the Bhilai Hardfork, which enhance its scalability and compatibility with cross-chain projects.

These upgrades have made Polygon an “ideal home” for omnichain stablecoins, with the upgrade ensuring that current Polygon-based USDT (PoS USDT) automatically becomes part of the USDT0 network without a change in contract address.

With this integration, both dollar-pegged and gold-backed liquidity become natively accessible on Polygon. This combination opens new possibilities for DeFi applications, payment systems, and real-world asset (RWA) adoption at an institutional scale.

A milestone in stablecoin interoperability

The integration is also notable for being USDT0’s second major upgrade involving more than $1 billion in liquidity, following its earlier launch on Arbitrum. Polygon now plays a critical role in providing the infrastructure for seamless stablecoin transfer across multiple chains.

Since Ethereum acts as the LockBox chain, all USDT0 and XAUt0 minted tokens across networks correspond to reserves locked on Ethereum. This system ensures that the supply across blockchains remains consistent with deposits on the base chain.

The broader context highlights the growing demand for stablecoins as a foundation for digital payments and tokenised assets.

With USDT’s dominance surpassing $167 billion in market value and XAUT gaining traction past $1 billion, the addition of omnichain liquidity tools like USDT0 and XAUt0 reflects a market increasingly focused on interoperability and scalability.

The post Polygon integrates USDT0 and XAUt0 as stablecoin liquidity expands past $1.6 billion appeared first on CoinJournal.

Polygon integrates USDT0 and XAUt0 as stablecoin liquidity expands past $1.6 billion

Source: https://coinjournal.net/news/polygon-integrates-usdt0-and-xaut0-as-stablecoin-liquidity-expands-past-1-6-billion/

TRON (TRX) price is down on the day, but the blockchain project is making headlines elsewhere as the supply of Tether’s USDT on its blockchain has surpassed $80 billion.

The native Tron token TRX traded at $0.27 on Friday, June 27, with CoinMarketCap showing the price was down under 1%. Intraday highs for the altcoin range around $0.29, and TRON remains in the top 10 by market cap.

However, the question might be, what does the USDT milestone mean for TRON’s price?

USDT supply on TRON hits $80 billion

As the crypto market eyes gains and stablecoin adoption grows, Glassnode has shared details that reveal a dramatic rise in Tether (USDT) supply on the TRON network.

Notably, the Tether-issued US dollar-pegged token has surpassed the $80 billion supply mark as of mid-2025.

$USDT supply on #TRON has surpassed $80B, now representing over 50% of all circulating #USDT. This solidifies TRON’s position as the dominant stablecoin settlement layer.
Track stablecoin flows with Glassnode: https://t.co/Lk7vkD8US6 pic.twitter.com/S6dfTYFhgz

— glassnode (@glassnode) June 27, 2025

This marks a significant leap from earlier years, with the supply growing steadily from negligible amounts in 2020 to over $60 billion by 2024, before accelerating sharply into 2025. As seen in the chart by Glassnode, there’s a steep upward trajectory, reflecting TRON’s increasing role in facilitating stablecoin transactions.

USDT in circulation currently sits at around $157.4 billion. With more than half of the total circulating USDT at $80 billion is dominance that solidifies TRON’s position as a preferred blockchain for stablecoin settlements, outpacing competitors like Ethereum.

The network’s efficiency and low transaction costs have likely driven this adoption, with institutional and remittance use cases further fueling demand.

May 2025 saw a record $684 billion in transfer volume, while 283 million USDT transfers this year highlight explosive user adoption.

TRON price prediction

Currently priced at $0.27 with a 24-hour trading volume of $407 million, TRON has shown resilience.

While price has recently dipped from highs of $0.29, bulls have held above the key support level of $0.20 since early January.

The surge in USDT supply is a bullish signal, as it boosts network usage and attracts more users to TRON’s ecosystem, including DeFi and payment applications.

Looking at the price outlook, several catalysts could drive TRX’s price higher.

The potential launch of TRON-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) could attract institutional investment, mirroring trends seen with Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Additionally, strategic partnerships—such as collaborations with major financial institutions or further integration with Tether- might prove huge for TRX.

Recently, it was announced that Tron is eyeing a public listing via a reverse merger. The deal, which reportedly eyes an IPO with Nasdaq-listed SRM Entertainment, will transform TRON into a treasury company.

Short-term, TRX might test resistance around $0.30. A breakout above $0.30 will allow bulls to target December 2024 highs above $0.44, which formed TRX’s all-time high. Long term, TRON price will eye a rally to $1.

The post TRON price forecast as USDT supply surpasses $80 billion appeared first on CoinJournal.

TRON price forecast as USDT supply surpasses $80 billion

Source: https://coinjournal.net/news/tron-price-forecast-as-usdt-supply-surpasses-80-billion/