DSRV Publishes 'Proposal for a Stablecoin Payment System Standard Suitable for Korean Regulations'

Blockchain infrastructure company DSRV (DSRV Labs) announced on September 11 that it has published a report titled "Proposal for a Stablecoin Payment System Standard Suitable for Korean Regulations," which presents a stablecoin payment standard tailored to the Korean regulatory environment. This report offers practical alternatives to address the anticipated surge in ultra-micro and ultra-high-frequency payments in an era where artificial intelligence (AI) agents perform routine tasks on behalf of humans.

DSRV stated, "Micro-payments will occur on a large scale, such as AI agents automatically calculating and paying subscription fees by the minute, or home appliances autonomously reordering consumables. Stablecoins, with their low costs and instant settlement capabilities, are expected to become the core of next-generation payment infrastructure."

However, the company emphasized that in Korea, multiple laws-including the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information, the Electronic Financial Transactions Act, and the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act-overlap, making it necessary to proactively establish operational standards suited to local realities.

The report also explains in simple terms that stablecoin transactions require a network fee known as "gas fees." When sending stablecoins, users must pay gas fees using tokens such as Ethereum (ETH) or Solana (SOL). However, it is difficult for all users to pre-own and manage such tokens in their wallets.

To address this issue, DSRV proposed a structure in which familiar payment apps (such as Naver, Kakao, Toss), card company apps, and bank apps handle gas fees on behalf of users and perform on-chain settlement in the background. Users simply make payments or transfers using the Korean won balance charged to these apps, as they do now, without needing to worry about managing virtual assets or topping up gas fees.

The core of the Korean-style architecture presented in this report is the prepaid charging model. Users pre-charge Korean won into their payment, card, or bank apps and use this balance for payments. Licensed virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and payment service providers are responsible for the actual custody of assets, on-chain settlement, and handling of gas fees during transactions. Unlike some overseas models where users manage their own private keys, this approach maintains a user experience familiar to domestic consumers while ensuring regulatory compliance.

Kim Jonggwang, Director of the DSRV Blockchain Research Institute, stated, "Stablecoin payments have moved beyond the stage of discussing possibilities. It is now time to establish operational standards that make gas fees invisible and easy for anyone to use. This report serves as a practical blueprint reflecting Korea's regulatory and market environment, offering realistic solutions for financial institutions and policymakers."

The report includes comprehensive analyses such as differences between global and Korean models, methods of handling gas fees (with service providers absorbing and settling user costs), challenges and opportunities for payment infrastructure in the AI era, and the division of roles among financial institutions, payment service providers, and VASPs. The full text is available on the official DSRV website.