Regulation· ★★★★· neutral·

Bank of Korea chief rules out retail CBDC, backs won stablecoin

  • —Shin: no universal retail CBDC will be issued; it has not been reviewed since 2023
  • —Project Han River is an institutional digital currency built on the existing financial system
  • —The governor backs a won stablecoin run by a consortium of private banks
  • —The BOK will work with regulators on risks such as capital outflows via stablecoins
Why it matters: South Korea is dropping a retail CBDC in favor of private won stablecoins, setting the direction for crypto regulation in 2026.
Source: Bloomingbit
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