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KAREN JOY BACUDO
Finance Editor
SOOHO.IO and Partior have signed a memorandum of understanding to connect SOOHO.IO’s Ezys platform to Partior’s global settlement network, targeting Korean financial institutions that handle cross-border payments.
The tie-up centres on linking Ezys, a platform that aggregates liquidity sources for direct trading, with Partior’s live settlement rails for USD, SGD and EUR. The arrangement is intended to support cross-border, multi-currency payments through Partior’s network of tokenised deposits.
Under the model, Ezys compares foreign exchange rates and transaction terms across financial institutions, selects a transaction route, and then routes settlement through Partior and other global rails. This structure is designed to reduce delays and improve cost visibility for payments that would otherwise pass through multiple correspondent banks.
Partior already operates a 24/7 settlement network handling commercial volumes in three major currencies. Its backers include DBS, JP Morgan, Standard Chartered and Deutsche Bank, supporting the venture as it seeks wider use in cross-border transactions.
For SOOHO.IO, the deal extends work it has already undertaken in digital financial infrastructure in South Korea. It cited its participation in Project Hangang, the Bank of Korea’s central bank digital currency trial, as part of the background to the partnership.
Settlement link
The agreement also reflects a broader effort by financial technology providers and banks to find alternatives to conventional correspondent banking routes, which can involve multiple intermediaries, slower processing and limited transparency over final charges. By connecting domestic infrastructure more directly to international settlement networks, firms are trying to simplify the movement of money between markets.
South Korea has emerged as an active market for experiments involving digital forms of money and distributed-ledger-based settlement systems. That includes central bank work, private-sector infrastructure projects and pilot programmes focused on improving payments and foreign exchange transactions.
SOOHO.IO said Ezys was built as a distributed-ledger-based payment and settlement platform for financial institutions and enterprises. In addition to cross-border remittance and foreign exchange functions, the company operates Purplace, a Purpose Bound Money platform, and Reagent, an AI-based smart contract security management platform.
The latest arrangement with Partior centres on deposit-token-based financial infrastructure in Korea. The companies want to connect that domestic infrastructure to global payment networks and create a route for multi-currency settlement alongside existing banking channels.
“It is meaningful to enter into this partnership with Partior, a company that is rewriting the rules of global finance, on the basis of a deep technical and commercial alignment between us,” said Jisoo Park, Chief Executive Officer of SOOHO.IO.
“Together with Partior and Korean commercial banks, we will complete a global financial pipeline that allows tokenised deposits to be cleared and settled as quickly and securely as possible within a rigorous compliance environment,” Park added.
Korea focus
For Partior, the agreement provides another route into a market where banks and technology groups have been exploring tokenised money, digital settlement and new payment rails. The company describes itself as a multi-currency global settlement network focused on the real-time cross-border movement of digital money.
Its network currently operates across USD, SGD and EUR, emphasising some of the currencies most commonly used in trade and treasury transactions in the region. That may appeal to Korean institutions looking to support international business flows without relying solely on traditional settlement processes.
Humphrey Valenbreder, Chief Executive Officer of Partior, said the Korean market was strategically important for the company.
“Korea is at the forefront of digital financial innovation, and we are excited to partner with SOOHO.IO to seamlessly connect its domestic ecosystem to global payment rails,” Valenbreder said.
“By connecting SOOHO.IO’s Ezys to a network already settling live commercial volumes across major currencies, we are demonstrating how Korean banks can plug into infrastructure that is operating today, not just a future roadmap. This extends our commitment to an interoperable ecosystem that optimises liquidity and lowers barriers to entry across global markets,” he added.
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