Hana Financial Group, one of South Korea’s largest financial conglomerates, said it has signed a business agreement with the UK’s Standard Chartered Group to cooperate in global finance and digital asset fields, Yonhap News reported. The pact covers collaboration across investment banking, money markets, foreign exchange and digital assets.
“We will create new growth opportunities by generating synergies in future financial areas, including digital assets,” Hana Financial chairman Ham Young-joo said, adding the firms plan to leverage their networks and financial expertise. Cointelegraph contacted both companies for comment but had not received a response by publication.
The deal extends Hana’s recent push into digital finance. On March 5, Hana said it partnered with Circle—the issuer of USDC—and Crypto.com to support stablecoin-based payments for foreign visitors in South Korea. Hana described the initiative as a way to validate stablecoins’ growth potential as a payment tool and to expand cooperation with global digital-asset operators.
Standard Chartered has emphasized the strategic importance of Asia in its global business. CEO Bill Winters called Korea “a key hub of the Asian financial market,” saying the partnership with Hana, which has strengths in global markets, will be an important milestone for the bank’s network. Separately, Standard Chartered was reported to be among at least two firms expected to receive stablecoin issuer approvals in Hong Kong in late March.
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This article was produced in line with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy; readers are encouraged to verify information independently.