Connecting P2P Lending and Security Tokens
Building a Gateway for Global Alternative Investments
On July 20, Eight Percent, an online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending company, announced that it has made a strategic investment to become the largest shareholder of Apanda Partners, a blockchain-based security token offering (STO) operator.
Eight Percent plans to support Apanda in establishing its medium- to long-term business strategies and enhancing its asset review systems, drawing on its twelve years of accumulated expertise in the lending market, credit evaluation, product management, and post-management operations.
Going forward, within the scope permitted by relevant regulatory approvals and legal frameworks, Apanda intends to identify and structure digital investment products backed by real and financial assets that generate stable cash flow, such as real estate mortgage loan receivables, corporate loans, infrastructure, accounts receivable, and lease receivables. Activities related to securities issuance, investment brokerage, and STO distribution connectivity—which are part of securities operations—will be independently carried out by Apanda once it obtains the necessary licenses.
The two companies aim to pioneer a new investment channel linking world-class Korean alternative investment assets with global capital, based on the integration of P2P lending and STO. The goal is for so-called ‘K-Fintech’ to serve as a gateway for global investors to access verified Korean financial assets, providing the domestic asset market with new liquidity and fundraising opportunities, while expanding access for overseas investors.
Apanda has been promoting a blockchain-based fractional investment business using real asset-backed loan receivables as underlying assets, allowing multiple investors to diversify their investments. It has built a blockchain-based money receivable trustee beneficiary securities trading platform, designated as an innovative financial service by the Financial Services Commission. Recently, the company has been pursuing preliminary authorization as a beneficiary securities investment broker.
To this end, Apanda appointed CEO Chu Hyo-hyun in April and will maintain an independent management structure even after the investment. CEO Chu built expertise in regulations, business development, and technology for digital assets and STOs by previously serving as head of policy and consumer protection officer (CCO) at Kakao Pay, and subsequently as co-CEO of Seoul Exchange and as regional compliance director at Binance.
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Lee Hyojin, CEO of Eight Percent, stated, “P2P finance is essentially a form of fractional investment that connects loan receivables with numerous investors. It is a natural step for Eight Percent to expand into the digital capital market by leveraging the asset discovery, credit evaluation, management, and post-management capabilities we have accumulated over the past twelve years.”
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