GiwaChain adoption builds after Hana–Dunamu PoC

What the Dunamu–Hana GiwaChain cross-border remittance PoC verified

Dunamu and Hana Financial Group completed a technology verification of a cross-border remittance service using GiwaChain, confirming that the partners could orchestrate an end-to-end blockchain-based transfer flow across their systems, as reported by Asia Economy (https://cm.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2026022708315841915). The disclosure establishes that a bank-grade institution and a major digital-asset operator jointly validated core functions needed for international transfers on-chain.

Within the constraints of a PoC, the exercise indicates technical feasibility for using GiwaChain to coordinate wallets, on-chain ledger updates, and back-end messaging without relying on traditional correspondent chains. While no transaction speed or fee metrics were published, a successful dry run at this stage is typically a precursor to compliance, risk, and operations testing required for any production rollout.

Why the Dunamu–Hana Financial partnership matters for remittances

Pairing a tier‑one financial group with a leading digital-asset infrastructure builder is strategically significant because it combines regulatory reach, customer distribution, and overseas banking networks with purpose-built blockchain rails. If translated into a regulated service, that mix could reduce intermediaries in settlement while preserving bank-grade controls over onboarding, monitoring, and reporting.

Executives at the firms have framed stablecoin-enabled payments as a structural shift for finance, according to Seoul Economic Daily (https://en.sedaily.com/technology/2025/12/04/headline-dunamu-partners-with-hana-financial-to-build). In that context, Dunamu CEO Oh Kyung-seok said, “once stablecoins become commercialized, blockchain infrastructure such as chains and wallets to support them will become mainstream.”

Near-term implications for speed, cost, stablecoin compliance, and rollout

If commercialized under bank oversight, on-chain settlement could shorten clearing times and compress fees by minimizing hops across the correspondent network, while enabling near-real-time reconciliation. However, production deployment would still need to address operational resiliency, treasury workflows, and customer protections consistent with bank standards.

Korea’s legal and supervisory approach to stablecoins, foreign-exchange handling, and on/off-ramp oversight is still evolving, shaping the pace and design of commercialization, as reported by CoinTrust (https://www.cointrust.com/market-news/hana-and-dunamu-team-up-to-launch-blockchain-remittance-system). That regulatory trajectory will likely determine whether tokens used for settlement are bank-issued, fully backed, ring-fenced, and subject to limits, as well as how cross-border transfers are booked for FX, KYC/AML, and reporting.

Public reporting to date has not confirmed start dates, corridors, or customer segments for a pilot, and any rollout would depend on internal risk approvals and regulator engagement. Near-term workstreams typically include wallet KYC integration, sanctions screening, travel-rule data exchange, audit trails, and controls for issuance/redemption if a stablecoin is involved.

Stablecoin cross-border remittance on GiwaChain: OP Stack Layer‑2 rails

GiwaChain is described as an in-house blockchain network built with an optimistic rollup stack (OP Stack), which batches transactions for lower fees and higher throughput before finalizing to a base layer, as reported by CoinDesk (https://www.coindesk.com/web3/2025/09/09/upbit-parent-dunamu-unveils-layer-2-blockchain-giwa). This architecture is designed to deliver quick confirmations on Layer‑2 while maintaining security assurances through periodic settlement to Layer‑1.

For remittances, those rails can support fiat-referenced stablecoins as the settlement asset, enabling programmable transfers and automated compliance checks at the wallet or smart-contract level. In practice, banks would pair these mechanics with restricted wallets, whitelisting, and policy controls for issuance, redemption, and cross-border flows, aligning the technical pathway with regulatory requirements.