Hanwha Finance, the financial arm of South Korea’s Hanwha Group, announced on 18 September 2026 a cascade of new agreements with authorities in Abu Dhabi. The deals were signed in Seoul during the Abu Dhabi Investment Forum, a gathering that brought together senior executives from both regions to explore collaborative opportunities in emerging finance.
The announcements signal a decisive step toward what the conglomerate calls a Digital Asset Silk Road a network that would link Korean capital markets with the fast-growing financial ecosystem of the United Arab Emirates. By weaving together traditional banking, asset management, and cutting-edge blockchain solutions, Hanwha aims to create a seamless conduit for capital, data, and digital services across the two economies.
Hanwha Life joins forces with ADIO to build a digital-asset ecosystem
Under a memorandum of understanding with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Hanwha Life will cooperate on three core pillars: the creation of a digital-asset ecosystem the strengthening of links between Korean and Abu-Dhabi capital markets, and the promotion of digital banking innovation. The partnership will examine ways to tokenise real-world assets, allowing physical properties such as real estate, commodities or infrastructure projects to be represented on a blockchain as tradable tokens.
Tokenisation, defined as the process of converting tangible assets into digital tokens that can be transferred instantly, is gaining traction worldwide as banks and asset managers look for new liquidity channels. Hanwha Life sees the ADIO collaboration as a gateway to introduce Korean financial products to the Middle Eastern market while tapping into Abu Dhabi’s ambitious push for fintech development.
“Through this partnership, we will explore tangible business cases in digital finance and reinforce the bridge between Abu Dhabi’s ecosystem and key international markets,” said Fatima Al Hammadi, head of the Fintech, Insurance, Digital and Alternative Investments Cluster at ADIO.
Hanwha Asset Management, ADGM and Hana Financial Group sign trilateral MOU on stablecoins and cross-border payments
In a separate accord, Hanwha Asset Management entered a three-party memorandum with Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and Hana Financial Group. The agreement focuses on developing stablecoins—cryptocurrency tokens pegged to fiat currencies—and building the underlying cross-border payment infrastructure that would enable rapid, low-cost money transfers between Korea and the UAE.
The three entities pledged to cooperate on an interoperable digital-asset market, addressing a common industry hurdle: while blockchain networks can move value swiftly within a single ecosystem, moving that value across jurisdictions still requires coordinated regulation, liquidity provisioning, and settlement mechanisms that link traditional banks with decentralized platforms.
“Our goal is to create a stable and interoperable digital-asset market that positions Abu Dhabi as a pivotal node in the global financial system,” explained Lim Dong-jun, chief executive of Hanwha Asset Management.
Broader implications and Hanwha’s global digital-finance strategy
Beyond the two formal partnerships, Hanwha Finance confirmed its participation in Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2026, an event that will showcase the group’s latest initiatives in digital banking, asset tokenisation, and sustainable finance. The firm’s presence builds on a debut at the 2025 edition of the same conference, where initial joint-investment ideas in real-asset financing and supply-chain funding were explored.
With roughly $130 billion in assets under management, Hanwha is increasingly embedding artificial intelligence, big-data analytics, and blockchain technology into its product suite. By aligning its traditional wealth-management capabilities with the fast-evolving world of Web 3.0, the group intends to offer a layered service model where digital assets complement, rather than replace, conventional financial instruments.
The combined effect of these agreements could see Korean securities, Korean-issued tokenised assets, and stablecoins flowing through a regulatory-friendly conduit operated by ADGM, while ADIO facilitates market access and business development. Analysts view the move as a strategic bid to capture a share of the Middle Eastern fintech boom and to diversify Hanwha’s revenue beyond its home market.
As the collaborations mature, both sides anticipate concrete pilot projects, ranging from tokenised infrastructure bonds to real-time remittance services for expatriates. If successful, the Digital Asset Silk Road may become a blueprint for other regions seeking to blend legacy finance with decentralized technology.
