Shinhan Card, Dunamu to Pilot Blockchain Payments Using Kiya Wallet in Card-Industry First

What happened

Shinhan Card said on Oct. 27 that it will launch an offline payment pilot with Dunamu using Kiya Chain, a public blockchain, and Kiya Wallet. Employees will receive Shinhan Card tokens and pay by scanning a QR code at a store in its Seoul headquarters.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

If the test works, a card company could connect traditional card payments to blockchain wallets, which means digital tokens might be used at ordinary stores. That could lower the need for separate wallet addresses and transfers, making crypto-style payments feel like normal mobile payments.

Analyst inference

The pilot is limited to one store and Shinhan Card employees, so it is an early test rather than a broad rollout. South Korean card companies are exploring blockchain payments while keeping card controls such as identity checks, suggesting gradual integration rather than replacing existing card systems.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. The pilot will run at a merchant on the first basement level of Shinhan Card's headquarters in Euljiro, central Seoul, and is limited to Shinhan Card employees using tokens issued by the company. Confirmed
2. The companies plan security checks using Kiya Chain's on-chain authentication technology, called Dojang, to confirm a payer is a Shinhan Card employee and give transaction authority only to pre-registered wallets. Proposed
3. Watch whether the pilot expands beyond employees and one store, and whether token issuance and QR payments show clear cost or speed benefits before Shinhan Card considers wider customer use. Analyst inference

Evidence

• en.bloomingbit.io