Samsung SDS has reportedly won a contract to build and operate a token securities platform for the Korea Securities Depository.
Summary
- Samsung SDS will turn KSD’s token securities testbed into a production-ready blockchain platform by 2027.
- South Korea’s new rules will recognize distributed ledgers as legal securities registries under KSD oversight.
- The project aligns Samsung’s blockchain infrastructure role with Korea’s tokenized asset market launch timeline ahead.
The project brings South Korea closer to running blockchain-based securities infrastructure before new rules take effect in 2027.
The platform is expected to be completed by February 2027. It will move KSD’s earlier testbed into a formal system built for transaction processing and stable service operations.
KSD plans to connect its existing electronic securities account system with blockchain-based distributed ledger data. The system will support tokenized securities issuance, circulation checks, and rights management.
Samsung SDS will also build a volume management system. The system is expected to track token securities issuance and circulation in real time.
Samsung SDS builds on earlier KSD work
Samsung SDS has already worked on KSD’s token securities program. The company carried out function-analysis consulting in 2024 and built a testbed platform in 2025.
The new deal expands that earlier work into a full operating system. It also puts Samsung SDS in a central role as South Korea prepares market infrastructure for tokenized assets.
The company will build gateway systems, blockchain node management tools, and distributed ledger architecture. These systems will help KSD manage blockchain-linked records alongside its current securities account structure.
Lee Jung-heon, head of strategic marketing at Samsung SDS, said the company would carry out the project “in a stable manner.” He also said Samsung SDS would use its token securities experience and IT infrastructure skills to support the market.
Legal changes set the 2027 timeline
The deal comes after South Korea’s Financial Services Commission said amendments to the Electronic Registration Act and the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act passed the National Assembly on Jan. 15. The changes create a legal path for issuing and circulating security tokens.
The FSC said blockchain-based distributed ledgers can be legally recognized as securities registries. It also said token security issuers must follow legal procedures and apply for electronic registration with KSD.
On March 4, the FSC launched a public-private consultative body for security tokens. The group will work on rules across technology, issuance, circulation, payment, and settlement.
The FSC said the amended framework is scheduled to take effect on Feb. 4, 2027. That timing closely matches Samsung SDS’s reported completion target for the KSD platform.
Tokenization activity grows beyond Korea
The Korea project comes as tokenized securities gain more attention in other markets. Crypto.news recently reported that DTCC plans limited production trades for tokenized securities in July 2026, before a wider service target in October.
DTCC’s working group includes more than 50 firms from traditional finance and crypto. The list includes BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Circle, Ondo Finance, Ripple Prime, NYSE Group, Nasdaq, and Payward.
Crypto.news also reported that Ripple and Kyobo Life Insurance are testing blockchain-based Korean government bond settlement. That pilot targets near real-time settlement, compared with the normal two-day cycle.
Samsung SDS’s KSD project shows South Korea is preparing the core system before the law begins. The next step will depend on final rules, market readiness, and how issuers use the platform after February 2027.
