Samsung SDS will use its new partnership with Upbit operator Dunamu to target South Korea’s fast-developing digital asset infrastructure market, the company has confirmed.
President and CEO Lee Jun-hee set out the plan on 29 July during Samsung SDS’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call, framing the recent investment in Dunamu as a central pillar of the group’s digital asset strategy rather than a move into retail cryptocurrency trading.
Lee said the company intends to fuse its strengths in cloud computing, cybersecurity and enterprise IT services with Dunamu’s blockchain technology to establish a leading role in the country’s emerging market for tokenized assets and stablecoin systems.
“By combining Samsung SDS’s IT services, cloud, and security capabilities with Dunamu’s blockchain expertise, we aim to lead this market,” Lee told investors.
Building on tokenized securities and stablecoin trials
Lee stressed that Samsung SDS is not starting from “a blank slate” in digital assets, pointing to prior work on tokenized securities and stablecoin infrastructure.
“We have already secured differentiated business capabilities in digital asset infrastructure through the Korea Securities Depository’s tokenized securities platform project and through end-to-end validation, with domestic financial institutions, of the full stablecoin process from issuance to settlement,” he said.
Those earlier projects, Lee indicated, will serve as the foundation for the next phase of development alongside Dunamu, as Samsung SDS seeks to scale up from pilot work to wider enterprise use cases in tokenized assets and stablecoin-based payment and settlement rails.
Although he underlined that Dunamu’s blockchain expertise will be central to that effort, Lee did not provide further detail on specific joint initiatives or technical roadmaps during the call.
Dunamu stake part of ‘inorganic growth’ drive
Samsung SDS is treating the Dunamu deal as part of a wider programme of “inorganic growth” investments, which also targets artificial intelligence and robotics.
In May, Samsung SDS joined forces with Samsung Securities and Samsung Card to acquire a combined 4% stake in Dunamu, the operator of South Korea’s largest digital asset exchange, Upbit. Lee characterised that holding as a strategic investment designed to give Samsung SDS a stronger foothold in the digital asset infrastructure space.
The move fits alongside the company’s existing technology portfolio, which already spans cloud platforms, enterprise IT outsourcing, cybersecurity offerings and artificial intelligence products and services.
Rather than creating a new consumer-facing cryptocurrency exchange or app, Samsung SDS is positioning itself as a behind-the-scenes provider of the technical backbone on which digital asset platforms, including those run by other firms, can operate.
Strategy shaped by evolving South Korean rules
The timing of the push reflects a period of regulatory change in South Korea, where lawmakers are working on legislation to clarify how stablecoins and other digital assets should be issued and managed.
Parliamentarians are discussing rules for areas such as stablecoin issuance, reserve management and compliance, while regulators and policymakers continue to debate how responsibilities should be divided between banks and non-bank companies in the sector.
These discussions are expected to have a major influence on how digital asset infrastructure businesses are structured in the coming years and where technology providers such as Samsung SDS and Dunamu can operate.
Lee’s comments suggest Samsung SDS believes there will be long-term demand from financial institutions and other enterprises for infrastructure supporting tokenized securities and stablecoin systems once the regulatory framework becomes clearer.
No product launch timeline yet
Despite committing to the strategic direction, Samsung SDS has not yet set out a timetable for launching new digital asset infrastructure services in partnership with Dunamu or through Upbit.
The company did not announce any concrete products, platforms or commercial roll-outs linked to the Dunamu investment during the earnings call, nor did it disclose any named joint projects.
Instead, Lee emphasised that this is a longer-term play to marry Samsung SDS’s enterprise technology capabilities with Dunamu’s blockchain specialism as opportunities emerge in South Korea’s digital asset market.
Aligned with wider AI and cloud expansion
The digital asset plans run in parallel with a substantial expansion of Samsung SDS’s artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure.
During the same earnings call, Lee said the company intends to almost double its AI infrastructure capacity from around 110 megawatts now to 230 megawatts by 2029, and then increase it to more than 800 megawatts by 2031.
That growth in computing power is aimed at supporting the firm’s broader cloud and AI businesses, but it may also underpin the intensive data and security requirements of large-scale digital asset infrastructure if the Dunamu partnership develops as Samsung SDS hopes.
For now, the company is signalling clear intent rather than immediate product launches, betting that combining its enterprise technology base with Dunamu’s blockchain know-how will put it in a strong position as South Korea’s digital asset rules and market structure take shape over the coming years.
