DB Securities signed an MOU with the Optimism Foundation to develop STO and RWA tokenization infrastructure for South Korea's Jeju region. The two-year partnership will tokenize smart farms, livestock assets and K-content IP using Optimism's OP Stack blockchain infrastructure.
DB Securities signed a memorandum of understanding with the Optimism Foundation to develop security token offering (STO) and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization infrastructure for South Korea's Jeju region, the companies said July 15.
"We will combine optimal technologies in Jeju to become an unrivaled institution in the domestic token securities underlying asset market," Lee Ju-sik, head of DB Securities' digital asset business team, said.
The signing ceremony took place at the Optimism Foundation's headquarters in Manhattan, New York, with Kyle Zenk, the foundation's chief business officer, and Lee in attendance. The first joint project will tokenize Jeju smart farms, livestock assets and K-content intellectual property. Optimism will provide its OP Stack blockchain infrastructure while DB Securities contributes underwriting and placement capabilities for tokenized securities. The partnership will be deployed in phases over two years, aligned with evolving South Korean financial regulations.
The deal represents the second leg of DB Securities' local government-based two-track digital asset strategy, following an earlier collaboration with another global mainnet. By building on Optimism's Ethereum Layer-2 infrastructure — already adopted by Coinbase and Upbit operator Dunamu — DB Securities expects to reduce initial system development costs. Optimism's technology addresses Ethereum's speed and fee limitations while maintaining its security, making it suitable for regulated financial institutions that require their own infrastructure rather than sharing space on a public chain.
Lee said the agreement with Optimism would strengthen the credibility of South Korea's STO and RWA businesses. DB Securities aims to establish itself as a key underwriter in the domestic and international STO underlying asset market, with Jeju as the initial proving ground for tokenizing real-world assets including agricultural products and entertainment intellectual property. South Korea's financial authorities have been gradually building a regulatory framework for tokenized securities, with the Bank of Korea planning a 2027 test of tokenized government bonds linked to its wholesale CBDC system.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
