Rialo Targets South Korea as Institutions Explore Onchain Financial Services

Rialo, a blockchain infrastructure provider, is expanding its efforts to serve traditional financial institutions, with a particular focus on South Korea. The network is currently in discussions with Korean firms about potential proof of concept projects as more financial institutions explore moving services onchain. Bobby Zagotta, Rialo's chief business officer, emphasized the growing interest from traditional finance in blockchain technology, highlighting the need for blockchains designed to fit institutional operations.

Rialo aims to simplify blockchain adoption for institutions by supporting connections to external systems, interoperability, and privacy tools. The network was introduced by Subzero Labs in August 2025 following a $20 million funding round led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Hashed, Mysten Labs, and Variant. Rialo's infrastructure is built around native web connectivity and event-driven transactions, reducing reliance on separate bridges and oracles.

One of Rialo's key offerings is Rialo Edge, which integrates external API data into blockchain applications while maintaining privacy through its identity and privacy system, IPC. This capability is particularly useful for lending scenarios, where sensitive borrower information can be verified without being publicly exposed onchain. Rialo is also targeting real-world assets and AI agents, with plans to control AI transaction authorities through a system called Latch.

Rialo is holding off on a token launch, preferring to establish working applications and business activity before introducing a token. The network is collaborating with institutions like Cboe and Robinhood Chain, which has seen significant trading volume in tokenized stocks. Rialo's focus remains on developing a functional business model before disclosing token plans, following a similar approach seen in other institutional blockchain networks.