Coin Newsweek – February 27, 2026 – Focus AI has completed its strategic acquisition of the Busan Digital Asset Exchange, finalizing the payment and securing a 40.61% stake that makes it the largest shareholder with operational control of the exchange. The acquisition marks a significant consolidation in South Korea’s emerging real-world asset (RWA) tokenization sector and positions Focus AI at the forefront of the country’s digital asset infrastructure development.
The Busan Digital Asset Exchange holds a unique position in South Korea’s financial landscape as the nation’s first RWA tokenized exchange. Currently, the platform specializes in the digital trading of precious metals, supporting 23-hour trading for seven different metals including gold, silver, and platinum. This specialized focus on tokenized commodities has established the exchange as a pioneer in bridging traditional physical assets with blockchain technology.
Strategic Significance of the Acquisition
For Focus AI, the acquisition represents more than simply gaining control of an existing exchange. The company has announced ambitious plans to leverage its new position as a foundation for building comprehensive Web3 payment platform infrastructure. By integrating artificial intelligence, payment systems, stablecoin technology, and e-wallet solutions, Focus AI aims to create a vertically integrated ecosystem spanning digital asset trading, payment processing, and tokenized real-world assets.
The timing of the acquisition aligns with significant regulatory progress in South Korea’s digital asset space. The KDX consortium, in which Focus AI participates, recently received the first preliminary license from the South Korean Financial Services Commission (FSC) for STO (Securities Token Offering) over-the-counter securities brokerage business. This regulatory approval provides a clear pathway for the development and trading of tokenized securities, complementing the Busan exchange’s existing RWA infrastructure.
Busan Digital Asset Exchange: A Pioneer in RWA Tokenization
The Busan Digital Asset Exchange has established itself as a first mover in South Korea’s tokenized asset space. Its focus on precious metals provides a tangible bridge between traditional commodity markets and digital asset trading. Gold, silver, and platinum—assets with millennia of history as stores of value—now trade alongside digital tokens, offering investors new ways to gain exposure to these traditional safe-haven assets.
The exchange’s 23-hour trading schedule accommodates global market participants across different time zones, recognizing that digital asset markets operate continuously. This extended trading window provides flexibility that traditional commodity exchanges, with their limited hours, cannot match.
Focus AI’s Vision: AI, Payments, and Tokenized Assets
With operational control of the Busan exchange secured, Focus AI plans to pursue an integrated strategy combining multiple technology domains. The company intends to deploy artificial intelligence capabilities across its newly acquired platform, potentially enhancing trading algorithms, risk management systems, and user experience through AI-powered insights and automation.
Payment infrastructure represents another key pillar of the strategy. By integrating stablecoin technology and e-wallet solutions, Focus AI aims to create seamless on-ramps and off-ramps for users of the tokenized asset platform. This integration could significantly reduce friction for investors moving between traditional currency and digital assets.
The combination of RWA tokenization, STO capabilities through the KDX consortium, and Focus AI’s technology stack creates the potential for a comprehensive digital asset ecosystem spanning multiple asset classes and use cases. From precious metals to tokenized securities, the infrastructure being assembled could support a wide range of tokenized products.
Regulatory Landscape and Future Prospects
South Korea has emerged as a significant player in the global digital asset regulatory landscape, with authorities taking a measured approach to fostering innovation while maintaining investor protections. The preliminary STO license granted to the KDX consortium represents an important step in establishing a regulated framework for tokenized securities.
For Focus AI, operating within this regulatory framework while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with tokenized assets presents both opportunities and challenges. The company must navigate evolving regulations while building the technological infrastructure to support its ambitious vision.
The precious metals trading currently offered by the Busan exchange provides a stable foundation with established market dynamics. Gold, silver, and platinum markets have deep liquidity and global participant bases, offering a solid starting point for the exchange’s tokenization efforts. Expansion into other asset classes, particularly tokenized securities through the STO framework, could follow as regulatory clarity and market demand develop.
Implications for South Korea’s Digital Asset Ecosystem
Focus AI’s acquisition of the Busan Digital Asset Exchange consolidates ownership of one of South Korea’s most distinctive digital asset platforms. As the country’s first RWA tokenized exchange, the Busan platform has played an important role in demonstrating the potential of tokenized real-world assets. With new ownership and an expanded technology vision, the exchange may accelerate the development of South Korea’s tokenized asset ecosystem.
The involvement of Focus AI, with its focus on artificial intelligence and payment infrastructure, suggests that future developments may extend beyond simple tokenization to include intelligent trading tools, seamless payment integration, and enhanced user experiences powered by AI. This could position the exchange at the intersection of multiple technological trends converging in the digital asset space.
Looking Ahead
With the acquisition now complete, Focus AI faces the challenge of integrating its technology vision with the existing exchange infrastructure while maintaining operational continuity. The company’s plans to combine AI, payment systems, stablecoins, and e-wallets into a unified Web3 payment platform represent an ambitious technical roadmap that will require careful execution.
The coming months will reveal how Focus AI leverages its new position as largest shareholder of the Busan Digital Asset Exchange. Will the company move quickly to integrate its technology stack, or take a more measured approach to platform evolution? How will the STO capabilities of the KDX consortium complement the exchange’s existing RWA focus? The answers to these questions will shape the future of one of South Korea’s most innovative digital asset platforms.
For market participants watching the RWA and STO sectors, Focus AI’s acquisition provides a concrete example of how traditional asset tokenization is moving from concept to reality, with established exchanges, regulatory approvals, and significant capital commitments all coming together to build the infrastructure for a tokenized future.
Sources: Focus AI announcement / Busan Digital Asset Exchange / Korean Financial Services Commission
Disclaimer: This content is for market information only and is not investment advice.
