Circle Chief Strategy Officer Dante Disparte says South Korea could fall behind in digital asset adoption despite having advanced banking and payments infrastructure. Speaking in Seoul, Disparte argues that the urgency around digital assets is not widely understood in Korea. He acknowledges that regulators can take a cautious stance, but he says moving too slowly could leave the country behind as digital assets become increasingly tied to national interest and security concerns internationally.
Disparte, whose company Circle issues USDC, a stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar, points to the scale of activity in digital asset markets, saying trillions of dollars already move through digital asset products. He also highlights potential future growth as blockchain technology intersects with artificial intelligence and “autonomous digital agents,” which he frames as a reason for more timely engagement with the technology itself. He adds that while being late to regulation may be manageable, being late to technology adoption may carry greater risk.
