Mirae Asset targets $109 billion crypto push built around Digital X

Mirae Asset Financial Group aims to build a 150 trillion won ($109 billion) digital-asset business centered on Digital X, its newly rebranded crypto exchange, as part of an aggressive push into crypto, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets.

The plan was unveiled by Mirae Asset founder and chairman Park Hyeon-joo during a gathering with employees of Digital X in Seoul. The event, titled “A New Voyage Begins, Together,” highlighted the group’s ambition to make blockchain-based finance a major pillar of its next phase of growth.

Park said the group wants the business to become profitable by 2027, while leveraging Mirae Asset’s enormous client-asset base to scale its digital finance operations.

“Our initial goal is to make Digital X a core pillar of ‘Mirae Asset 3.0’ and grow the digital asset business to 150 trillion won by leveraging the group’s 1,500 trillion won in client assets,” Park said.

Mirae Asset puts Digital X at the center of its crypto strategy

The scale of the target reflects how dramatically Mirae Asset’s strategy has changed since it moved to take control of Korbit, one of South Korea’s earliest cryptocurrency exchanges.

Mirae Asset Consulting, a nonfinancial affiliate of the group, completed its acquisition of a 91.73% stake in Korbit in July and subsequently increased its ownership to 97.15%. The exchange was then renamed Digital X. The transaction made Mirae Asset the first major South Korean financial group to take control of a domestic crypto exchange.

Rather than treating the exchange as a standalone cryptocurrency trading venue, Mirae Asset wants Digital X to become a broader investment platform connecting traditional finance with blockchain-based products.

The strategy covers four major areas: cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, real-world assets (RWAs) and security token offerings (STOs). The company also plans to tokenize physical assets such as gold, silver and electricity, creating what Park described as an “on-chain finance” ecosystem.

That approach could turn the exchange from a simple trading platform into infrastructure for a much wider digital investment marketplace.

Tokenization could be the bigger bet

While cryptocurrency trading remains an important part of the strategy, Mirae Asset’s focus on tokenization signals a broader ambition.

Through Digital X, the group wants to connect assets that traditionally sit inside separate financial markets with blockchain-based infrastructure. Tokenized securities, stablecoins and RWAs could potentially allow investors to gain exposure to traditional assets through digital formats.

Mirae Asset has previously described the goal as creating an investment ecosystem in which digital assets, stablecoins, RWAs and STOs operate alongside conventional financial products. Its stated ambition is ultimately to develop a global platform where traditional and digital assets can coexist within a unified investment framework.

The company is also considering additional funding as the operation expands. Korea Times reported that Mirae Asset could inject between 200 billion won and 300 billion won through a third-party allotment in the first quarter of next year, depending on improvements in the business’s earnings.

For Digital X, that additional capital could provide room to develop new products, strengthen infrastructure and pursue the technology required for large-scale tokenized finance.

South Korea’s financial giants are moving together

Mirae Asset’s strategy is emerging as South Korea’s established financial institutions increasingly treat digital assets as a strategic financial sector rather than a niche cryptocurrency market.

Just one day before Park’s announcement, Shinhan Financial Group announced a strategic partnership with Visa focused on stablecoin infrastructure and AI-powered payment models.

Shinhan plans to use Visa’s stablecoin platform to test key functions including issuance, remittance and redemption, while the two companies work on a Korea-specific stablecoin business model. Their plans also include pilots involving card-payment settlement and B2B and B2C payments.

“We will combine Shinhan’s financial capabilities with Visa’s global infrastructure to jointly design new future finance models,” Shinhan Financial Group CEO Jin Ok-dong said.

The parallel moves by Mirae Asset and Shinhan underscore the growing competition among South Korea’s financial heavyweights to establish an early position in blockchain-based finance.

Regulation could determine how far the plan goes

The timing is also significant because South Korea is working toward a broader Digital Asset Basic Act covering areas including stablecoins, virtual asset service provider licensing and crypto exchange-traded funds.

That regulatory direction could provide clearer rules for institutions seeking to build products around digital assets while also imposing greater requirements around compliance, investor protection and market infrastructure.

For Mirae Asset, the challenge will be converting its enormous traditional finance footprint into a sustainable digital business without treating crypto simply as another speculative market.

Park himself has warned against excessive speculation. Yonhap reported that he criticized leveraged crypto investing and questioned why investors would borrow money to participate in the market. He has instead framed the company’s strategy around building a long-term investment platform.

The immediate milestone is profitability by 2027. The longer-term test is whether Digital X can become the bridge Mirae Asset envisions between conventional finance and blockchain infrastructure.

If successful, the exchange could evolve far beyond its Korbit origins and become the operational foundation for Mirae Asset’s attempt to build one of Asia’s largest institutional digital-asset businesses.