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KB Kookmin Card and SBI Holdings team up to test AI agent payments and stablecoin use

KB Kookmin Card and SBI Holdings team up to test AI agent payments and stablecoin use

New Capabilities

Four firms complete first technical test of AI agent identity checks and move to cross-border payment study

October 23rd, 2026: SBI, Everspin and KB Kookmin Card complete KYA Trust Gateway technical PoC

Overview

Updated Oct 17

KB Kookmin Card and Japan's SBI Holdings have completed the first technical test of an AI agent identity system for cross-border travel payments. The October 23 proof of concept checked that an AI agent's digital credentials could be verified before it connected to a Korean test service.

The test used a travel app built for the trial, not a public product. Next, the four companies will study linking the identity layer to KB Pay and to cross-border payments using digital assets, including stablecoins. A separate SBI trial of stablecoin QR payments for travelers is due to finish by the end of December.

Why it matters

If stablecoins handle tourist payments, cross-border fees could fall below card rates—and AI agents could become the new way people spend.

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Key Indicators

4
Firms in the AI payment MoU
KB Kookmin Card, SBI Holdings, SBI EVERSPIN and Everspin agreed to joint testing.
1
Technical proof of concept completed
The companies verified AI agent credentials and connected an agent to a Korean test service on October 23.
1.2M
Merchants in SBI DigiTrust's stablecoin QR trial
A separate SBI subsidiary test for Japan-Korea traveler payments, spanning a network connected through NICE Information & Telecommunication. Verification targets completion by the end of December 2026.
3
Phases planned in the MoU proof of concept
Credential verification, then user delegation and access control, then integration with KB Pay and stablecoin settlement.

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People Involved

YK
Yoshitaka Kitao
Representative of SBI Holdings
Leading SBI's push into digital assets and stablecoin infrastructure
JK
Jae-Kwan Kim
Representative of KB Kookmin Card
Overseeing KB Pay integration with AI agents and stablecoins
JY
Jamyung Yoon
Representative of SBI EVERSPIN
Led completion of first KYA Trust Gateway technical PoC
YH
Youngbin Ha
Representative of Everspin
Co-led completion of first KYA Trust Gateway technical PoC

Organizations Involved

KC
KB Kookmin Card Co., Ltd.
Credit card company
Completed first KYA Trust Gateway technical PoC; studying KB Pay integration

Card arm of KB Financial Group, one of Korea's largest financial groups, and operator of the KB Pay mobile wallet.
SBI Group
SBI Group
Financial services group
Completed first KYA Trust Gateway technical PoC; next phase studies cross-border payments

Major Japanese financial conglomerate spanning securities, banking, insurance, and digital assets.
Everspin Co., Ltd.
Everspin Co., Ltd.
Cybersecurity firm
Completed first KYA Trust Gateway technical PoC with SBI EVERSPIN and KB Kookmin Card

Korean security firm co-developing KYA Trust Gateway, an AI agent identity-verification platform, with SBI EVERSPIN.

Timeline

September 2026 October 2026

6 events Latest: October 23rd, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. SBI, Everspin and KB Kookmin Card complete KYA Trust Gateway technical PoC

    Latest Pilot

    The companies verified AI agent digital credentials and connected an agent to a Korean test service. The next phase will study cross-border payments and possible links to KB Pay.

  2. KB Kookmin Card, SBI Holdings, Everspin sign AI payment MoU

    Partnership

    Four firms agree to test AI agent identity verification and study stablecoin payments.

  3. SBI DigiTrust, NICE and DSRV sign MoU to study Japan-Korea stablecoin QR payments

    Pilot

    The three firms agreed on Sept 30 to verify stablecoin QR payments for Japan-Korea travelers. The trial spans about 1.2 million merchants connected through NICE, with verification targeted for completion by the end of 2026.

  4. KB Kookmin Card signs MoU with SY Polaris on AI payment testing

    Partnership

    Agreement covers testing AI-driven payment systems with a focus on tightening security.

  5. KB Kookmin Card runs stablecoin payment pilot at CU stores

    Pilot

    Card company runs stablecoin payment test at CU convenience stores on blockchain rails.

  6. KB Kookmin Card joins Mastercard's Crypto Partner Program

    Partnership

    Card company joins Mastercard's crypto program and works with MoonPay.

Scenarios

1

KB Pay launches stablecoin payments for Japanese tourists

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Korean crypto media (CoinLab, Megaeconomy) and the MoU's stated goal of exploring cross-border stablecoin payments

The MoU's proof-of-concept phases succeed: KYA Trust Gateway verifies AI agents, KB Pay integrates stablecoin settlement, and Japanese travelers pay at Korean merchants without currency conversion. The firms then commercialize the service.

2

Stablecoin payments stay in pilot as Korea's rules lag

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Megaeconomy, which notes Korea still needs consumer protection, anti-money-laundering, and merchant settlement rules for digital-asset payments

Technical pilots succeed, but the firms hold off on commercial launch while Korea's stablecoin regulatory framework, consumer protections, and anti-money-laundering rules catch up. The project may narrow to AI agent credential verification, which needs no new payment regulation.

3

KYA Trust Gateway becomes a cross-border trust standard

Uncertain Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: SBI Holdings' stated goal of building a trust infrastructure for diverse AI agents to connect with financial and non-financial services

The AI agent identity layer proves out in the Japan-Korea pilot and gets adopted by firms outside the four MoU signatories, possibly in other sectors like travel or e-commerce. It becomes a general-purpose trust rail for agent-to-agent transactions rather than just a payment tool.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2015–2019

Alipay and WeChat Pay expand abroad (2015–2019)

Chinese tourists drove Alipay and WeChat Pay to build QR payment merchant networks across Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, often with tax-rebate and marketing incentives for stores.

Then

Chinese tourists paid abroad with their home apps, and merchants gained a new, high-spending customer base.

Now

The apps normalized QR payments for international tourists and pushed local wallets to open acceptance networks.

Why this matters now

Shows tourist demand can pull a new payment method into merchant networks—the dynamic stablecoins now aim to repeat in Korea.

2021

Visa settles transactions in USDC (2021)

Visa announced it would settle some transactions in USD Coin (USDC) on the Ethereum blockchain, starting with payments processor Crypto.com—the first big card network to settle in a stablecoin.

Then

Showed stablecoin settlement could work on card rails, bypassing traditional bank settlement.

Now

Spurred Mastercard, PayPal, and others to run stablecoin programs; card networks now court crypto-native issuers.

Why this matters now

Established that dollar-pegged stablecoins can function as mainstream settlement rails—the assumption behind the Korea-Japan plan.

2021

Singapore-Thailand PayNow-PromptPay linkage (2021)

Singapore's PayNow and Thailand's PromptPay linked their real-time payment systems, letting users send money across borders using just a phone number.

Then

First real-time cross-border payment system linkage between two Asian countries, cutting settlement times from days to seconds.

Now

Inspired similar regional interlinking projects across Asia, offering a government-led alternative to card networks.

Why this matters now

Presents the contrast route to stablecoins: government-interlinked rails instead of digital-asset settlement for cross-border payments.

Sources

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+6
SBI Holdings 日本経済新聞 The Asia Business Daily CryptoBriefing CoinLab (Edaily) Megaeconomy Dailian 포쓰저널 TokenPost FX News Group DigitalToday SBI Holdings