South Korea CBDC test moves to bank-account phase as deposit-token rollout is discussed

Bank of Korea pilot participants are linking the test to commercial bank accounts on Naver Cloud while also discussing conditions for continuous deposit-token operations and a formal rollout.

Summary

South Korea's central bank digital currency experiment is moving into a more practical stage that connects the pilot with commercial banks' real account infrastructure, while the Bank of Korea and participating banks discuss how deposit tokens could operate continuously ahead of a formal rollout. ET News reported that banks in the pilot are building wallets, fiscal payment voucher functions, digital currency management tools and blockchain integration modules in a designated Naver Cloud environment. Briefing materials submitted by the Korea Federation of Banks indicate participants are also exploring ongoing issuance and operating conditions for tokenized bank deposits, pointing to efforts to move beyond limited testing toward wider use within the banking system.

Terms & Concepts
  • CBDC: Central bank digital currency issued by a monetary authority.
  • deposit tokens: Digital tokens representing commercial bank deposits for use in tokenized payment and settlement systems.
  • blockchain integration modules: Components that connect banking systems to blockchain-based functions.