₩10T for AI After NAVER's Deal with Dunamu

NAVER builds "next-generation fintech": ₩10T for AI after NAVER's deal with Dunamu, investing in the development of the Korean AI and Web3 ecosystem, and aiming to build global infrastructure at the intersection of artificial intelligence and blockchain.

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More on NAVER's AI + Web3 Focus

NAVER is moving from a one-off M&A deal to a long-term AI strategy. As we wrote earlier, Naver Financial is acquiring 100% of Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's largest crypto exchange, Upbit, through a share swap. Now the company is revealing the next step: the combined group is building a financial platform where artificial intelligence and Web3 blockchain services operate as a single stack, and it is backing this with a plan to invest KRW 10 trillion over five years in the Korean AI and Web3 ecosystem.

NAVER emphasizes that it has already created "unparalleled AI capabilities for financial services", relying on its data, the scale of its user base, and its experience operating in the digital environment. Dunamu, in turn, brings expertise in digital asset exchange, token economics, on-chain services, and the broader Web3 sector. After the deal closes, Dunamu's Web3 assets are added to NAVER's capabilities, turning the group into a player that simultaneously controls payment services, digital assets, and the AI stack.

In practical terms, the combination can potentially provide several avenues for synergy that the top managers have discussed. NAVER's AI models can run on top of transaction data from Naver Pay and Upbit, strengthening anti-fraud measures and risk management, personalizing investment and payment products, and helping to build recommendation systems for retail and institutional clients. At the same time, tokenized assets and on-chain data provide raw material for new AI services, from smart liquidity routing to real-time analytics of investor behavior.

CEO of Naver Choi Soo-yeon emphasizes:

"Naver has built and continues to build unparalleled AI capabilities for financial services, leveraging its high-quality data and technical expertise across the digital space."

NAVER CEO Choi Soo-yeon calls this part of a broader transformation:

"The global fintech market is evolving from payment systems to investment, asset management, and capital markets with new blockchain-based services."

In the corporate dimension, the companies emphasize that integration is only just beginning and that they can now build a deep linkage between AI, fintech, and Web3 under a single management structure. NAVER Chairman Lee Hae-jin describes it this way:

"The three companies are now under one roof, and they can pursue deep integration and trust-based collaboration. What specific services will emerge is something that will be created from here on."

Separately, he formulates the target vision as the creation of next-generation infrastructure:

"Design a next-generation financial infrastructure combining AI and blockchain, creating a new global platform ecosystem that extends beyond payments into all areas of finance and related services."

To support the speed of decision-making in these areas, the management team is betting on fast governance circuits and a clear distribution of roles. Choi Soo-yeon emphasizes exactly this:

"We plan to build a speedy decision-making structure through typical corporate governance channels, such as the board of directors and various committees."

At the same time, they place the cultural layer on a par with technology and capital. In Choi's words:

"What matters even more is mutual trust and first bringing our people together under a unified culture. To achieve this, we plan to share our capabilities as extensively as possible."

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Conclusion

Taken together, NAVER's new agenda shows that the deal with Dunamu is not just an expansion toward the Upbit crypto exchange, but an attempt to build a full-fledged AI-centric financial platform where on-chain assets and Web3 services are embedded into the overall product lineup. Moreover, all of this once again confirms the growing mutual dependence between the two key technologies of the 21st century. Get more insights from our guides for beginners and professionals, and stay tuned for the latest updates and opportunities in the new economy, crypto industry, and blockchain developments!