DAXA Publishes Policy Handbook on Digital-Asset Institutionalization, Regulatory Priorities
Summary
- DAXA said it published a policy handbook covering the policy tasks needed for the institutionalization of South Korea's digital-asset market and the future direction of regulation.
- The group said the handbook covers key research topics including a roadmap for digital-asset institutionalization, a user protection framework, a market surveillance model suited to domestic market conditions and the design of governance structures.
- DAXA said the handbook also includes detailed policy issues tied to the industry's expansion, including regulatory direction for digital-asset payments and settlement businesses, money-laundering risks and control measures tied to foreign investment, and AML frameworks related to stablecoins.
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The Digital Asset eXchange Alliance, or DAXA, said on Oct. 7 that it had published its "Digital Asset Policy Handbook for the Second Half of 2026," laying out policy tasks needed as South Korea institutionalizes its digital-asset market and setting out the direction of future regulation.
The handbook is a follow-up to material released in the first half of this year that examined global digital-finance issues such as stablecoins and real-world asset tokens, or RWAs. It is DAXA's third policy handbook since publishing the first one last year.
DAXA said discussions in South Korea on institutionalizing digital assets have gathered pace since the Virtual Asset User Protection Act took effect, heightening the need to closely examine a regulatory framework covering the market as a whole. The handbook focuses not only on user protection and market surveillance, but also on business governance, payments and settlement, foreign investment and anti-money laundering, or AML.
Nine DAXA advisers from financial research institutes, academia and the legal community took part in producing the handbook. Experts in each field conducted the research and writing, while Ahn Soo-hyun, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Law School, reviewed the overall content.
The main research topics include the need for and significance of digital-asset institutionalization, a roadmap for building the system, the standardization of supervisory data, improvements to user-protection systems, a market-surveillance model suited to South Korea's market environment and the design of governance structures.
The handbook also includes detailed policy issues arising as the industry expands. It analyzes the regulatory direction for digital-asset payments and settlement businesses, money-laundering risks and control measures that could emerge if foreign investment is allowed, the overseas relocation of South Korean digital-asset companies, the policy direction of a Digital Asset Basic Act and AML frameworks related to stablecoins. The views presented in the handbook are those of the individual contributors and may differ from DAXA's official position.
DAXA has made the handbook available through the "Publications-Policy Handbook" section of its website for policymakers, academics, digital-asset industry participants and general users.
In a foreword, DAXA Chairman Oh Se-jin said that, based on experience accumulated since the Virtual Asset User Protection Act took effect, the most important task now is how to establish a basic legal framework covering the industry. He added that he hopes the handbook will serve as a practical reference in shaping South Korea's digital-asset policy and regulatory system.
