The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bae Kyung-hoon) announced that it held a regular seminar of ABLE, the Alliance of Blockchain Leading digital-Economy and a public-private cooperation platform connecting blockchain demand and supply, together with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA, President Lee Sang-jung) at the Sky Ballroom of the Textile Center in Seoul on August 13. As the scope of blockchain use rapidly expands with the spread of AI agents and digital assets, the event was arranged to help domestic companies identify demand in new markets and discover opportunities for business cooperation and overseas expansion.
 [코리안투데이] MSIT and KISA blockchain demand-supply consultative body (ABLE) regular seminar © 장형임 기자 |
Held under the theme of ‘The AI and Digital Assets Era: New Blockchain Markets and Global Opportunities,’ the seminar drew around 100 participants, including blockchain demand and supply firms and industry stakeholders. ABLE stands for the Alliance of Blockchain Leading digital-Economy.
The presentations opened with success stories from overseas government projects, including a pilot project on agricultural subsidies carried out by DSRV Labs for the World Bank and the government of Madagascar. Shinhan Bank followed with an outlook on the global digital asset ecosystem and technology demand in the financial sector, while SUHO IO introduced trends in blockchain technology, services, and security in AI agent-based payments and transactions. Also shared were a blockchain project by the IDB Lab of the Inter-American Development Bank, trends in the U.S. blockchain ecosystem and corporate financing support measures highlighted by Plug and Play, and technology demand in the Japanese and Vietnamese markets as conveyed by Shinhan Future’s Lab.
Through this, participating companies confirmed the newly forming blockchain demand in the fields where digital assets and AI converge, and explored ways to link domestic technologies and services to actual business.
Alongside the seminar, a business program was operated to support the substantive growth of domestic blockchain companies. Through one-on-one business matching between blockchain firms and demand companies and investors from industries such as finance and construction, participants discussed the possibilities of technology adoption, business cooperation, and attracting investment, along with consultations on legal, institutional, and management difficulties involving ABLE advisory members.
Since its launch ceremony in July 2023, ABLE has operated as a private sector-led, government-supported platform linking demand and supply. Since its inauguration, membership has grown by 34 companies, and through a total of seven regular meetings, it has supported 225 one-on-one business matchings and 65 consultations on legal, institutional, and management difficulties. It has also achieved results leading to actual investment through investor linkages and IR (investor relations) events, serving as a focal point for supporting corporate growth.
The ABLE Advisory Committee, held on the same day, discussed the consultative body’s mid- to long-term direction for development. The advisors proposed reorganizing the body around four main divisions ▲finance and digital assets ▲industry and non-finance ▲AI-blockchain convergence ▲overseas expansion, and expanding cooperation networks with foreign governments, international organizations, and local innovation institutions. They also agreed on the need to strengthen customized advisory services in technology, law and institutions, investment, and overseas expansion tailored to each company’s growth stage and needs.
Based on the outcomes of these discussions and industry opinions, MSIT plans to expand and reorganize ABLE beyond a mere venue for information exchange into an action-oriented corporate growth support platform that connects everything from identifying market demand to demonstration, commercialization, investment, and overseas expansion. This is significant in that it broadens the channel for domestic blockchain companies to move beyond the idea stage toward actual revenue and investment.
The following day, August 14, a linked event, the ‘IR Demo Day,’ will be held at KISA’s Blockchain Corporate Growth Hub. Outstanding blockchain SMEs and startups seeking to attract investment and secure funding will conduct IR presentations for domestic professional investors and seek substantive investment opportunities through on-site one-on-one investment consultations and networking.
MSIT plans to link the public- and industry-sector demand identified through ABLE to blockchain support projects going forward, and to help outstanding results spread to domestic public institutions and companies. It also plans to support domestic companies’ entry into global markets by linking with overseas expansion support programs such as international exhibitions, export consultation events, and projects with international organizations and foreign governments.
Lee Do-gyu, Director-General for Information and Communication Policy at MSIT, said, ‘As AI agents and digital assets spread, the role of blockchain in verifying the trustworthiness of data provenance, permissions, and transaction histories will become even more important,’ adding, ‘We will expand and reorganize ABLE into a public-private cooperation platform that identifies new market demand and connects demonstration, commercialization, investment, and overseas expansion, and will actively support domestic companies with growth potential so that they can generate substantive results in both domestic and overseas markets.’
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
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