- KB Kookmin Card, SBI Holdings, Everspin and SBI Everspin signed an MOU to test AI-agent identity and permission checks.
- The partners will explore integrating the technology with KB Pay and allowing Japanese tourists to pay South Korean merchants using stablecoins.
South Korea’s KB Kookmin Card has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japan’s SBI Holdings and two cybersecurity companies to test identity checks for artificial intelligence (AI) agents and explore cross-border crypto and stablecoin payments between the two countries.
Announced on October 13, the four-party agreement also involves South Korea-based Everspin and SBI Everspin, a joint venture between SBI Holdings and Everspin. The companies plan to examine how AI agents can securely access financial services and carry out transactions on behalf of users.
The work will use KYA (Know Your Agent) Trust Gateway, a platform designed to verify an AI agent’s identity and the permissions granted to it by a user. The aim is to check not only who or what is making a request, but also whether the agent has permission to access a service or complete a particular transaction.
Tests to Cover KB Pay and Stablecoin Payments
The initial testing phase will focus on verifying the identity of AI agents operating from Japan when they access services in South Korea. The companies then plan to test how the system checks delegated permissions and manages access to individual services.
KB Kookmin Card will also explore linking the technology with KB Pay, its payment platform. The test will examine how to confirm a user’s approval and ensure an AI agent stays within its authorised transaction limits when making payments.
Cross-border crypto payments are another part of the agreement. The partners will study whether Japanese tourists could use stablecoins and other digital assets to pay at participating merchants in South Korea.
The tests will cover payment and settlement procedures, cancellations, refunds and responses to fraudulent transactions. However, the companies have not named a supported stablecoin, selected a blockchain or announced a commercial launch date.
Everspin said it has recorded approximately 25 billion cumulative cybersecurity threat detections across more than 150 financial institutions in South Korea and overseas. The figure was reported by the company and relates to its broader security operations, not the new AI-agent platform.
The four companies plan to assess commercial potential based on the test results and consider expanding cooperation into other financial and non-financial services. No budget or completion date for the testing programme has been disclosed.
