Future Finance Strategy Center

“They have lots of experience in the lending business, and we can receive accurate and prompt advice from them in any matter.”

- - The Legal 500 Asia Pacific

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Overview

The Future Financial Strategy Center was established in July 2024 to keep pace with the transformative era in which digital technology is fundamentally redefining the nature of financial services.

As cutting-edge technologies such as generative AI, blockchain, and cloud computing rapidly proliferate throughout the financial industry, the need to build new financial ecosystems and respond to accompanying regulations has become more pressing than ever. Accordingly, the Center provides comprehensive legal advisory services in one place—from business planning and licensing acquisition to compliance system establishment, communication with regulatory authorities, and information security risk management—enabling financial institutions and fintech companies to safely bring innovative services to market.

Under the leadership of Center Head Jun Seong Han, who has directly led digital innovation in the financial industry for 37 years, the Center brings together approximately 40 top experts from various fields, including regulatory specialists from the Financial Services Commission and Financial Supervisory Service, attorneys specializing in blockchain, virtual assets, and electronic finance, as well as AI and information security experts. Based on a deep understanding of technology and business, the team provides practical solutions to the diverse and complex legal issues arising in operational settings, including virtual asset business registration, regulatory sandbox applications, AI-based financial service development, and embedded finance platform establishment. Furthermore, the Center provides comprehensive support across risk management areas essential to the digital finance environment, including cybersecurity incident response, anti-money laundering system enhancement, and personal information protection compliance reinforcement.

The Future Financial Strategy Center goes beyond providing legal advice—it is a true partner that contemplates alongside clients the direction of innovation they pursue and finds optimal pathways at the intersection of regulation, technology, and business.

Key Services

Digital Financial Service Development and Launch Support

Planning and Licensing Stage: Review business models for new financial services and assess legal feasibility; advise on financial sector licensing and registration procedures (e.g., virtual asset service providers, electronic financial business operators); support applications for designation as an innovative financial service and participation in Korea’s financial regulatory sandbox

Service Operation Stage: Build compliance frameworks for key financial regulations (including the Electronic Financial Transactions Act and the Specialized Credit Finance Business Act); manage licenses for payment/settlement and remittance services; support the establishment of embedded finance platforms and the design of partnership structures

Regulatory Response and Dispute Resolution: Respond to inspections and enforcement actions by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and the Financial Services Commission (FSC); handle financial consumer disputes and damages litigation; advise on unfair trade practices and standard-form contract (terms and conditions) review issues

Blockchain, Virtual Assets, and AML-Related Legal Services

Market Entry: Support virtual asset service provider reporting/registration and build compliance frameworks under Korea’s Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information; advise on token economy design and securities classification analysis; advise on structuring for NFT and STO (security token) issuances

Compliance Management: Establish anti–money laundering (AML) and counter–terrorist financing (CFT) frameworks; advise on strategies to secure real-name verified deposit/withdrawal accounts (real-name accounts); support expansion into overseas virtual asset exchanges and local regulatory compliance

Risk Response: Respond to virtual asset hacking and cybersecurity incidents; handle regulatory examinations and defend against administrative fines and penalties; manage virtual asset–related civil and criminal disputes and respond to investigations

Information Security and Cybersecurity Strategy Consulting

Security Governance Establishment: Establish information security policies and management frameworks (including ISMS-P) for financial institutions; draft cyber incident response playbooks and support tabletop exercises/simulations; advise on cloud migration and compliance with evolving network-separation requirements and regulatory relaxations

Incident Response and Recovery: Respond to personal data breach incidents and support reporting to financial regulators; provide legal advice on cyberattacks such as ransomware and hacking; defend against administrative fines and penalties related to information security compliance

Specialized Services

Industry-Specific Tailored Advisory: Provide sector-specific solutions across financial industries, including banking (digital banking), insurance (insurtech), securities (digital asset trading), and cards/payments (e-wallets and BNPL)

Education and Seminars: Deliver regulatory training programs for financial institution executives and employees; host seminars and workshops on the latest digital finance issues; analyze global regulatory developments and provide practical insights

Practice Areas

Representative Cases

Digital Finance Licensing and Regulatory Advisory

Advised major domestic banks on compliance with the Regulations on Supervision of Electronic Financial Business in connection with the development and launch of a mobile banking platform

Supported a domestic fintech company’s application for designation as an innovative financial service and assisted in responding to the Financial Services Commission review process

Advised multiple digital finance providers on registration as an electronic financial business operator, including change-of-registration filings

Advised a domestic simple payment service provider (e-wallet) on compliance with the Electronic Financial Transactions Act and related regulations, and reviewed the legal validity of its business model

Regulatory Inspection and Enforcement Actions by Financial Supervisory Authority

Advised domestic electronic financial business operators in responding to routine and special examinations by the Financial Supervisory Service

Represented multiple financial institutions in regulatory examinations and enforcement proceedings relating to alleged violations of the Regulations on Supervision of Electronic Financial Business

Assisted a domestic fintech company in responding to an investigation by the Financial Supervisory Service into alleged violations of the Electronic Financial Transactions Act

Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Compliance

Conducted independent AML audits for a major domestic bank

Advised multiple financial institutions and virtual asset service providers on building internal control frameworks to ensure compliance with AML policies and procedures

Assisted a domestic securities company in responding to an examination by the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit and advised on enhancements to its AML compliance program

Advised a virtual asset exchange on fulfilling obligations under Korea’s Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information and on matters related to acceptance of its virtual asset service provider report/registration

New Technology Finance and Information Security

Advised major domestic financial institutions on compliance with the Regulations on Supervision of Electronic Financial Business when using cloud services, including guidance on obtaining approval from the Financial Services Commission.

Advised multiple virtual asset service providers on compliance with the Virtual Asset User Protection Act and on day-to-day business operations; provided comprehensive advice to domestic financial companies on compliance with the Credit Information Act and the Personal Information Protection Act.

Advised financial institutions on establishing information security management frameworks and responding to cybersecurity incidents.

Key Contacts

Our Team

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