What Is Samsung SDS Planning With Dunamu?
Samsung SDS is exploring stablecoin infrastructure, digital asset systems and artificial intelligence-based payment models with Dunamu, the operator of South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit.
CEO Lee Jun-hee said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call on Thursday that the two companies are discussing several areas of potential cooperation. The talks cover the infrastructure needed to issue, manage and settle stablecoins, as well as digital financial services that combine blockchain networks with AI technology.
“We have already secured differentiated business capabilities in digital asset infrastructure through the Korea Securities Depository’s tokenized securities platform project and through end-to-end validation […] of the full stablecoin process from issuance to settlement,” Lee said.
He added that working with Dunamu could help Samsung SDS expand its presence in digital asset infrastructure. Dunamu brings experience in blockchain operations, trading systems and cryptocurrency market activity, while Samsung SDS provides enterprise IT services, cloud computing and cybersecurity.
“By combining Samsung SDS’s IT services, cloud, and security capabilities with Dunamu’s blockchain expertise, we aim to lead this market,” the company said in its earnings transcript.
Why Did Samsung Invest In Dunamu?
The discussions follow a coordinated investment by Samsung affiliates in May 2026. Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS and Samsung Card agreed to acquire a combined 4% stake in Dunamu, strengthening the group’s exposure to South Korea’s digital asset sector.
Lee described the transaction as a strategic investment rather than a passive financial holding. The companies plan to use the relationship to develop commercial models for digital financial infrastructure rather than relying only on an increase in the value of the stake.
The involvement of three Samsung businesses creates several possible routes for cooperation. Samsung SDS can build and operate the technology, Samsung Securities could support regulated investment or tokenized asset services, and Samsung Card may provide links to consumer payments and merchant networks.
The structure could allow Samsung to test services across issuance, custody, settlement and payment processing. Dunamu’s market experience may also help Samsung identify which blockchain products have enough demand to support a commercial rollout.
Investor Takeaway
Samsung’s Dunamu investment is developing into an operating partnership rather than a simple equity holding. The main question is whether the companies can convert stablecoin and blockchain infrastructure into services used by banks, merchants and consumers.
How Could Stablecoins Fit Into Samsung’s Payment Business?
The discussions emerged days after Samsung Electronics disclosed plans to add stablecoin support to Samsung Wallet. Together, the announcements suggest Samsung is studying both the consumer-facing and infrastructure sides of digital payments.
Samsung Wallet could provide users with an interface for holding or spending stablecoins, while Samsung SDS could supply the enterprise systems needed to issue tokens, verify transactions and complete settlement. Samsung Card could potentially connect those services to existing payment networks, subject to regulatory approval.
Stablecoins may allow payments to settle faster and operate outside traditional banking hours, but large-scale use requires more than a wallet application. Issuers and payment providers need reserve management, anti-money-laundering controls, cybersecurity, transaction monitoring and systems capable of processing high volumes.
Samsung SDS’s prior work on the Korea Securities Depository’s tokenized securities platform gives it experience with regulated blockchain infrastructure. Its testing of the full stablecoin process from issuance through settlement indicates that the company is preparing for projects that extend beyond cryptocurrency trading.
South Korea is still developing its policy framework for stablecoins and digital assets. The commercial value of the partnership will therefore depend partly on the rules applied to issuers, reserve assets, redemption rights and payment providers.
Can AI and Cloud Growth Support The Digital Finance Push?
Samsung SDS is expanding into digital finance while its AI and cloud businesses continue to grow. Second-quarter revenue increased 5.9% from a year earlier to 3.72 trillion Korean won, or about $2.6 billion.
Cloud revenue rose 17%, while revenue from external cloud customers increased 75%. Demand was supported by the Samsung Cloud Platform and graphics processing unit-as-a-service products used to run artificial intelligence workloads.
The company plans to increase its AI infrastructure capacity from 110 megawatts to 230 MW by 2029 and more than 800 MW by 2031. That expansion could provide the computing resources required for AI-driven payment monitoring, fraud detection, customer service and automated financial processes.
Combining AI with stablecoin payments could allow transactions to be initiated or managed by software agents, but such systems would require strict controls over authorization, identity and spending limits. Security failures in automated payment systems could create immediate financial losses.
Samsung SDS has not announced a launch date, named a stablecoin or disclosed a completed product with Dunamu. The current talks remain exploratory. The investment, Samsung Wallet plans and stablecoin testing, however, show that Samsung is building several parts of a potential digital finance network at the same time.
