KB Kookmin Card and SBI Holdings reportedly plan AI identity checks, crypto payments
In brief
- KB Kookmin Card and SBI Holdings reportedly plan AI identity verification tests and crypto payments for Japanese tourists.
- Neither company has published a formal announcement detailing how the arrangement would work.
- SBI DigiTrust is testing stablecoin QR payments across about 1.2 million NICE-connected merchants.
- KB Kookmin Card joined Mastercard's Crypto Partner Program and signed an AI-payments MoU with SY Polaris.
What's been reported (and what hasn't)
There aren't many specifics yet.
According to Crypto Briefing, the two companies plan to test AI identity checks and look at crypto payments for visitors from Japan, but there's been no formal announcement explaining how any of it would work.
Neither company has published a formal announcement detailing how the arrangement would work.
It's also unclear how the efforts fit together. Available descriptions didn't tie the AI identity verification piece to SBI's separate QR payments program, and KB Kookmin Card wasn't named as a participant in that trial.
SBI DigiTrust's stablecoin QR trial
SBI DigiTrust, an SBI Holdings subsidiary, is testing stablecoin-based QR code payments for people traveling from Japan to South Korea. The program started between late September and early October 2026. It involves NICE Information & Telecommunication and DSRV (a blockchain infrastructure firm), and it spans a network of about 1.2 million merchants connected through NICE. The stated goal is to measure whether these payments are commercially viable and efficient at scale.
A stablecoin is a digital token pegged to a traditional currency, meant to hold a stable value. Cross-border card payments, by comparison, usually involve currency conversion, foreign transaction fees and several intermediaries.
KB Kookmin Card's own crypto work
KB Kookmin Card hasn't been waiting on SBI. In September 2026 it joined Mastercard's Crypto Partner Program, and it's worked with crypto payments provider MoonPay. On September 29 it signed a memorandum of understanding with SY Polaris covering tests of payment systems driven by AI agents, with a focus on tightening security.
The card issuer has also pursued patents, including one for a hybrid card that combines stablecoin and credit functions.
The report also describes a stablecoin pilot. By late September 2026, a company it appears to identify as KB Kookmin Card (the source doesn't clearly name it) had completed a real-world stablecoin payment pilot at CU convenience stores, running transactions over blockchain infrastructure instead of the usual card processing network.
Frequently asked questions
Is KB Kookmin Card part of SBI DigiTrust's stablecoin QR payment trial?
KB Kookmin Card isn't named as a participant in the SBI DigiTrust trial. That program involves NICE Information & Telecommunication and DSRV, and it spans about 1.2 million merchants connected through NICE. Available descriptions also don't tie the AI identity verification effort to the QR program.
What crypto payment projects has KB Kookmin Card been involved in?
KB Kookmin Card joined Mastercard's Crypto Partner Program in September 2026 and has worked with MoonPay. On September 29, 2026 it signed an MoU with SY Polaris to test AI-agent payment systems with a focus on security. It has also pursued a patent for a hybrid stablecoin and credit card.
