Korean Banks Commit to Blockchain Infrastructure at XRP Seoul 2026

Korean banks showed their commitment to blockchain technology at XRP Seoul 2026, where Ripple's president and senior vice president headlined alongside bank representatives. Woori Bank, Kakao Bank, Kyobo Securities, and Kbank all had speakers on stage, demonstrating a strong partnership between the financial institutions and Ripple.

The event was part of Korea Blockchain Week, which also included sessions about the XRP ecosystem in Asia. However, it's not just the conference that matters, behind the scenes, Ripple has been building infrastructure with its partners. In February 2025, Ripple signed a partnership with BDACS, a regulated South Korean digital asset custodian, to bring institutional clients onto Ripple Custody.

By August 2025, this partnership had gone live for XRP, allowing institutions to custody their XRP through BDACS. Woori Bank is actually tied to this infrastructure, having struck a partnership with BDACS in December to build out digital asset custody services together.

This move reflects a broader trend in the industry, where banks are opting to build directly on crypto rails rather than simply holding tokens as a side bet. This commitment to building infrastructure is what sets Woori's appearance at XRP Seoul apart from just being a marketing opportunity.