Chainlink Labs Partners with WEMADE on Korean Won Stablecoin Infrastructure

Chainlink Labs has officially joined the Global Alliance for Korean Won Stablecoin (GAKS), a consortium led by Korean gaming company WEMADE focused on expanding real-world usage of KRW-backed stablecoins. The alliance, launched in November 2025, aims to ensure global regulatory compliance with Korean financial standards while establishing technical infrastructure for institutional digital asset adoption.

WEMADE, parent company of the WEMIX blockchain ecosystem, announced the partnership in a press release. With Chainlink Labs providing strategic support, GAKS now includes specialized firms covering security audits, blockchain analytics, fintech services, and oracle infrastructure.

What Is The GAKS Alliance?

GAKS stands for Global Alliance for Korean Won Stablecoin. The consortium was formed to create a trusted ecosystem for stablecoins pegged to the South Korean won. The alliance focuses on regulatory compliance, technical standardization, and real-world use case development.

Prior to Chainlink's addition, GAKS included Chainalysis for blockchain data analytics and compliance, CertiK for security audits, and SentBe for global fintech and international remittance services. Each member contributes specialized capabilities to support KRW stablecoin infrastructure.

Shane Kim, VP of WEMADE and CEO of WEMIX, stated that Chainlink's participation marks a significant milestone for securing global-level technical excellence and trust within the alliance.

What Role Will Chainlink Labs Play In GAKS?

Chainlink Labs will provide strategic support to establish global standards and develop institutional digital asset use cases across alliance members. The company brings oracle infrastructure that connects traditional finance with onchain systems, serving as a critical data bridge for stablecoin operations.

Chainlink's role specifically includes ensuring KRW stablecoins maintain data integrity and stability aligned with global financial market standards. This involves providing reliable price feeds, verification mechanisms, and cross-chain data services that meet institutional requirements.

Oracle Infrastructure Explained

Oracles are systems that bring external data onto blockchain networks. Smart contracts cannot access real-world information on their own, so they rely on oracles to provide verified data like asset prices, market conditions, or regulatory updates. Chainlink operates the most widely adopted oracle network in the digital asset industry.

For stablecoins, oracles verify collateral values, monitor reserve ratios, and provide pricing data needed for maintaining pegs. Without reliable oracle infrastructure, stablecoins face risks of depegging or manipulation.

Why Does Chainlink's Institutional Track Record Matter?

Chainlink has established partnerships with major financial institutions that demonstrate its capability to meet enterprise standards. Swift, UBS, Euroclear, Mastercard, and Fidelity International have all adopted Chainlink infrastructure or standards in various capacities.

The platform also brought data from the U.S. Department of Commerce onchain, showing its ability to work with government entities. This institutional adoption record positions Chainlink as a credible partner for regulated financial products like KRW stablecoins.

"WEMADE and the GAKS alliance are building critical infrastructure for the next phase of digital assets in Korea,” said Johann Eid, Chief Business Officer at Chainlink Labs. “Through the strategic alliance with WEMADE, Chainlink is providing industry expertise and key opportunities for GAKS members to leverage the Chainlink platform as they continue to develop stablecoin and tokenized asset initiatives in the Korean and APAC region."

How Does This Fit Chainlink's Recent Expansion?

The GAKS partnership follows several technical developments that expand Chainlink's capabilities beyond basic price feeds.

Atlas Acquisition For MEV Recapture

On January 22, 2026, Chainlink acquired Atlas, an onchain order flow infrastructure developed by FastLane. Atlas enables DeFi protocols to recapture value during liquidation events through structured auctions rather than losing it to searchers and validators.

The technology captures Oracle Extractable Value (OEV), a form of Maximal Extractable Value that occurs when price feed updates trigger liquidations. Chainlink's Smart Value Recapture protocol has processed over $460 million in liquidations and recaptured more than $10 million in OEV for protocols including Aave and Compound.

With Atlas integration, Chainlink SVR now operates on five blockchain networks: Arbitrum, Base, BNB Chain, Ethereum, and HyperEVM. The acquisition brought Atlas intellectual property and core FastLane development personnel under Chainlink's control.

Extended U.S. Equities Data Streams

On January 20, 2026, Chainlink rolled out 24/5 U.S. equities and ETF data streams, allowing decentralized protocols to access stock pricing during pre-market, post-market, and overnight sessions. This addresses a structural limitation where blockchain markets operate continuously while U.S. equity markets only trade during specific hours.

The upgrade provides continuous, high-quality market data five days a week, enabling more reliable onchain trading of tokenized stocks and equity derivatives. U.S. equities represent roughly $80 trillion in value but remain underrepresented in onchain markets partly due to data availability gaps.

Also, on January 13, the Bitwise Chainlink ETF was approved to list on NYSE Arca under the ticker CLNK. The fund directly holds LINK, giving investors exposure to the 20th largest cryptocurrency by market cap through standard brokerage accounts—removing the need to handle private keys or custody solutions.

What Technical Standards Will GAKS Establish?

GAKS aims to create technical standardization for KRW stablecoins that align with both Korean regulatory requirements and international financial standards. This includes establishing protocols for reserve verification, collateral management, redemption mechanisms, and cross-border transactions.

Chainlink's participation enables GAKS members to access enterprise-grade oracle services for these functions. The alliance can leverage Chainlink's existing infrastructure rather than building custom solutions from scratch, accelerating development timelines.

WEMADE plans to strengthen technical completeness and global competitiveness of the won stablecoin ecosystem through this collaboration. The company emphasized that Chainlink provides infrastructure connecting traditional finance and onchain finance, with proven adoption by global financial institutions.

Conclusion

Chainlink Labs' addition to GAKS creates a consortium spanning oracle infrastructure, security audits, compliance analytics, and fintech services for KRW stablecoin development. The alliance combines WEMADE's blockchain ecosystem, Chainlink's institutional oracle network, Chainalysis's compliance tools, CertiK's security capabilities, and SentBe's remittance infrastructure to support regulated stablecoin operations in Korea and the Asia-Pacific region.

Resources

1. Chainlink on X: Posts (December, 2025 - January, 2026)

2. Press release by WEMIX: Chainlink Labs Joins WEMADE-Led KRW Stablecoin Alliance 'GAKS' to Advance Korean Digital Asset Standards

3. Press release by Chainlink: Chainlink Acquires Atlas by FastLane to Increase Revenue for DeFi by Expanding SVR to New Ecosystems

4. Bitwise’s Chainlink (LINK) ETF approval document: US SEC approval for Bitwise Chainlink (LINK) ETF for NYSE Arca listing 

5. Blog article by Chainlink: Chainlink Brings The $80 Trillion U.S. Stock Market Onchain With 24/5 Equities Data