Kaia, Tether, Kakao Pay and Line Next co-host hackathon to test KRW stabelcoin

• The hackathon will feature a Korean Won-backed stablecoin “Ideathon” that will serve as launchpad for the future KRW stablecoin.
• It will also feature a Kaia-USDT hackathon with opportunities for Mini Dapp launches within LINE Messenger.
• Rep. Byung-deok Min, who proposed Korea’s Digital Asset Basic Act (2025), will deliver a congratulatory speech.

Kaia DLT Foundation (Kaia) will co-host the first Korea Stablecoin Hackathon, with Tether, KakaoPay, and LINE NEXT Corp. This initiative demonstrates Kaia chain’s leadership role in the South Korean digital asset market as well as its strong partnerships that are advancing Asian stablecoin markets, including KRW-pegged ones, following recent regulatory progress that has boosted activity.

To maximize collaboration between Web3 fintech developers and major enterprises, Kaia has partnered with top industry players such as Tether, the world’s largest USD stablecoin provider; KakaoPay, the native payment solution of KakaoTalk, which holds a 95% market share in South Korea; and LINE NEXT, LINE’s Web3 venture, delivering Kaia-powered Web3 services to 196 million users on LINE Messenger worldwide.

The hackathon will explore USDT and native KRW stabelcoins on the Kaia chain

The hackathon features two tracks: an “ideathon” focused on future KRW-backed stablecoin initiatives and a hackathon powered by the native USDT on the Kaia chain. Alongside prize funding of USD 72.5 thousand (KRW 100 million), Kaia will support top performers in launching their Mini Dapps within LINE Messenger. Kaia Wave VC Alliances and Simsan Ventures, a UK- and UAE-based global venture capital firm, will review promising builders for potential investment.

Meanwhile, Biyard, a Web3 company operating the decentralized, purpose-driven social platform RATEL, has facilitated collaboration among industry, academia, and government. As such, lawmaker Byung-deok Min—who proposed the first bill of the Digital Asset Basic Act of Korea (2025)—will deliver a keynote speech at the awards event in September. 

“I am delighted to be participating in the judging of insights related to stablecoins, a global hot topic as a daily financial platform for the entire nation,” said  Won Geon Shin, CEO of KakaoPay. “I expect that the ideas from the hackathon will lead to more innovative services for users in line with the policy environment.”

Kakao Pay and Kaia aim to popularize stablecoins

“This Hackathon marks a starting point for activating the use of stablecoins,” said Youngsu Ko, CEO of LINE NEXT “With Kakao Pay and Kaia, LINE NEXT looks forward to supporting innovative business ideas to speed up the popularization of Web3 services and stablecoins.”

“I am excited that KakaoPay and LINE NEXT, Kaia’s governance members, and Tether, one of our strong partners, are participating in this hackathon,” said Dr. Sam Seo, Chairman of the Kaia DLT Foundation. “The cooperation of those involved in our joint effort will ensure the domestic stablecoin sector is established seamlessly. Through this hackathon, Kaia will help found the digital asset fintech industry as another growth engine for Korea, discovering exceptional Web3 business models beneficial to everyone.”

Open to anyone interested in stablecoins and Web3, the event will center on financial inclusion, payment system innovation, RWA tokenization, DAO operational efficiency, cross-border remittances, and digital content transactions. Detailed information will be available on Kaia’s official website (kaia.io) and its social media channels (@KaiaChain_KR).