Autor Cointelegraph By Helen Partz

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Samsung SDS, the IT services arm of Samsung Group, is exploring stablecoin infrastructure, digital asset systems and AI-based payment models with Dunamu, the operator of Upbit, one of the biggest local cryptocurrency exchanges.Samsung SDS said it is discussing potential cooperation with Dunamu on stablecoin infrastructure, digital asset systems and AI-based payment business models, CEO Lee Jun-hee said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call on Thursday.“We have already secured differentiated business capabilities in digital asset infrastructure through the Korea Securities Depository’s tokenized securities platform project and through end-to-end validation […] of the full stablecoin process from issuance to settlement,” Lee said. He said he expects the relationship with Dunamu will help Samsung SDS expand in the digital asset infrastructure market.The news came days after Samsung Electronics unveiled plans to add stablecoin support to Samsung Wallet, broadening the company’s digital asset push.Strategic investment targets digital financeIn May 2026, Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS and Samsung Card agreed to buy a combined 4% stake in Dunamu, deepening Samsung affiliates’ ties to South Korea’s digital asset sector.In the latest Q2 call, Lee reportedly said the company’s investment in Dunamu is a strategic move rather than a financial investment, adding that both companies plan to refine potential business models for digital financial infrastructure.Source: Samsung SDS“By combining Samsung SDS’s IT services, cloud, and security capabilities with Dunamu’s blockchain expertise, we aim to lead this market,” the Q2 transcript said.Related: South Korea report proposes stablecoin rules before crypto lawSamsung SDS did not immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment, while Dunamu declined to comment.AI growth supports broader expansionThe digital asset initiative comes amid Samsung SDS’ ongoing expansion in AI and cloud services, which helped lift Q2 revenue 5.9% year on year to 3.72 trillion Korean won ($2.6 billion), according to the quarterly earnings presentation.Cloud revenue increased 17% from a year earlier, with external cloud business revenue jumping 75%, driven by demand for Samsung’s cloud platform and graphics processing unit-as-a-service offerings.The company also reportedly outlined ambitious plans to expand its AI infrastructure from 110 megawatts today to 230 MW by 2029 and more than 800 MW by 2031, underscoring its broader push to build AI infrastructure alongside digital finance services.Magazine: Fears of AI-driven DeFi hack epidemic overstated for now — but not for long

Telegram, the messaging platform used by more than 1 billion people worldwide, is facing a major legal challenge in Australia over claims that it failed to stop the spread of terrorism-linked material.Australia’s online safety regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, launched civil penalty proceedings against Telegram in the Federal Court on Thursday, according to an official statement.The authority alleged Telegram breached its obligations under the country’s Online Safety Act to address “pro-terror” content by failing to act on multiple user complaints.The case adds to growing global scrutiny of Telegram’s moderation practices, following legal pressure on CEO Pavel Durov in Russia and France as governments increasingly examine how major online platforms handle harmful content.Australia alleges Telegram ignored repeated warningsESafety said its year-long investigation found that Telegram failed to remove certain unlawful material after becoming aware of it, with some reported content remaining visible for up to three weeks.The regulator also alleged that Telegram did not take sufficient steps to prevent repeated violations, including removing accounts, channels and groups used to distribute pro-terror material.According to eSafety, Telegram also failed to detect known extremist content, including footage from the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings and the 2022 Buffalo mass shooting, before the material was later removed.Related: Pavel Durov says Telegram to roll out native Gram crypto walletThe regulator is seeking financial penalties, with violations of Australia’s online safety rules carrying potential fines of up to 54.6 million Australian dollars ($35.8 million).Telegram has not issued an official statement on the Australian proceedings, but its official X account posted a video captioned “freedom of expression.”Telegram did not immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request to comment on this story.Russia intensifies legal pressure on DurovAustralia’s legal action came a day after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) charged Durov with facilitating terrorist activity and said it had begun procedures to place him on an international wanted list.Russian authorities alleged that Telegram failed to remove channels, chats and bots that Ukrainian intelligence services, terrorist groups and extremist organizations used to coordinate attacks, recruit operatives and carry out cyber fraud.Telegram has also not issued an official statement on the latest legal developments in Russia, but posted an image of Durov making a profane hand gesture.Source: Telegram MessengerDurov also remains under investigation in France following his August 2024 arrest at Le Bourget Airport. French prosecutors charged him with offenses including complicity in the distribution of illegal content, including material related to organized crime, through Telegram.Durov has previously criticized what he described as growing threats to online privacy, warning that governments were rolling back protections for the free internet.“What was once the promise of the free exchange of information is being turned into the ultimate tool of control,” he wrote in an October 2025 post on X.Magazine: The real reason DeFi projects that survived 2022 crash are shutting down now

BNY, one of the world’s largest custodian banks, is taking a major step toward blockchain-based financial infrastructure by moving fund ownership records onchain.The New York-based institution will launch a blockchain-based version of its transfer agency business, which manages fund ownership records and investor transactions, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.“We think of BNY as modernizing a function that sits behind every single fund transaction by bringing the books and records on-chain,” Carolyn Weinberg, BNY’s chief product and innovation officer, reportedly said.The move follows BNY’s broader digital asset expansion, including its European regulatory progress under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, as the bank positions itself for the next phase of institutional blockchain adoption.What are transfer agency records?Transfer agents are financial service providers that maintain official records of who owns shares in investment funds. They handle tasks such as processing investor transactions, issuing and redeeming fund shares, updating ownership records and supporting communication between funds and investors.These records form part of the behind-the-scenes infrastructure that allows investment funds to operate. Traditionally, ownership information is stored across multiple systems used by fund managers, custodians and other market participants, requiring frequent reconciliation.Related: USDC issuer Circle to acquire nearly 1,000 IBM blockchain patentsAccording to the report, BNY’s transfer agent services cover roughly $8.6 trillion in assets across 7.6 million accounts. The company, which oversees more than $59 trillion in assets under custody and administration, will reportedly maintain its traditional transfer agency operations alongside the new digital platform.Baillie Gifford among early users for tokenized fundsBy moving transfer agency records onchain, BNY aims to create a shared source of information for market participants, reducing reliance on separate databases and manual reconciliation processes.Early users of BNY’s digital transfer agency reportedly include Edinburgh, Scotland-based asset manager Baillie Gifford, which plans to use the platform for what it described as the first “fully native” United Kingdom-regulated tokenized fund. BlackRock and BNY Dreyfus money market fund and cash management business are also expected to use the service for upcoming tokenized funds.The firm has roughly $261 billion in assets under management, according to its website.Related: Hong Kong prepares banks for quantum threats amid tokenization push“What we have in the blockchain is a shared source of record-keeping between the participants,” Theo Golden, Baillie Gifford’s head of digital assets, said. “We agree that this is the source of truth when people are dealing with the asset that this is monitoring,” the executive said.BNY has not disclosed which blockchain network will support the new platform. Cointelegraph approached the company for comment regarding the report but did not receive a response by the time of publication.Magazine: The 5 types of real world assets being tokenized fastest onchain