Samsung SDS Teams Up With Upbit Operator Dunamu to Explore Stablecoins and AI Payments

Samsung SDS, part of Samsung Group's IT services structure, is set to explore a stablecoin framework, AI-based payment models, and digital asset systems in cooperation with Dunamu, an operator of Upbit, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges. Samsung SDS CEO Lee-hee announced this during the company's second-quarter earnings call on Thursday. A potential partnership with Dunamu will help Samsung SDS build a strong stablecoin foundation, which is crucial given the growth of stablecoins over the past year. The announcement comes days after Samsung Electronics introduced stablecoin support to Samsung Wallet, pushing the company's digital asset growth.  

Partnership Aims to Advance AI Payments and Digital Asset Services

As the CEO announced this latest development during the company's latest Q2 call, Lee emphasised that the company's partnership with Dunamu is more of a tactical move and not just a financial investment. He added that both corporations will devise a plan to enhance potential business models for improved financial performance. In May 2026, Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS and Samsung Card decided to purchase a combined 4 percent stake in Dunamu. This will strengthen Samsung's ties to South Korea's digital asset sector. 

A statement by Lee read, “We have already secured differentiated business capabilities in digital asset infrastructure through the Korea Securities Depository's tokenised securities platform project and through end-to-end validation of the full stablecoin process from issuance to settlement.” 

It's not just Samsung; earlier this year, in April, Morgan Stanley's investment management division initiated the "Stablecoin Reserves Portfolio," which lets stablecoin issuers put their reserves in one of the bank's money market funds and earn interest on them. This offering is part of the Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds trust, which has a primary aim to preserve capital, provide daily liquidity, and distribute income while maintaining a $1 (roughly Rs. 95.38) net asset value. 

As reported earlier this year, the adjusted transaction volume for stablecoins rose to its highest-ever level of $1.79 trillion (roughly Rs. 17,077,390 crore) in June, representing growth of 63 percent from May's $1.1 trillion (roughly Rs. 10,495,100 crore). June's all-time high in stablecoin transaction volumes beats the previous record high of $1.78 trillion (roughly Rs. 16,981,980 crore) in February, and this is 125 percent higher than last year, according to Visa's Allium-powered stablecoin analytics dashboard.