Hecto Financial Co. Ltd.

SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hecto Financial, a regulated financial services provider in South Korea, announced today its integration with Circle Payments Network (CPN). The integration provides Hecto Financial with access to a global settlement infrastructure for cross-border payments using regulated stablecoins such as USDC.

Moving forward, Hecto Financial plans to streamline overseas remittance and settlement procedures through CPN, in alignment with domestic regulatory standards in South Korea, to provide faster and more secure cross-border payment services to both domestic and international customers.

Operated by Circle Technology Services, LLC, an affiliate of Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE: CRCL), CPN connects financial institutions, payment providers, and fintechs to facilitate programmable, always-on settlement using stablecoins such as USDC and EURC. The network is designed to unify traditional and blockchain-based payment systems while eliminating intermediaries and supporting real-time settlement.

Through CPN, Hecto Financial aims to enhance the speed, efficiency, and global reach of its cross-border payment services for enterprise clients and platform partners. Supported use cases include B2B payments, remittances, and treasury flows.

"As financial infrastructure evolves, we see an opportunity to offer clients new ways to move value quickly across borders in a compliant manner," said Jong-won Choi, CEO of Hecto Financial. "In line with the global shift toward stablecoin-centered financial infrastructure, Hecto Financial aims to help establish a foundation for the KRW-based digital payment ecosystem to expand into global markets and contribute to enhancing the international standing of the Korean Won."

"Hecto Financial's integration with Circle Payments Network supports the delivery of near-instant cross-border payments across key global corridors," said Irfan Ganchi, SVP of Product Management, Payments at Circle. "By connecting to CPN, Hecto enables programmable money movement that aligns with the demands of today's digital economy."

This integration builds on Hecto Financial's participation in the October 2025 public testnet of Arc, Circle's enterprise-grade layer-1 blockchain designed as the Economic Operating System (OS) for the internet, where it joined over 100 institutions in validating early infrastructure use cases.

About Hecto Financial

Hecto Financial (KOSDAQ: 234340) is a leading, regulated financial services provider in South Korea, offering a comprehensive suite of integrated payment solutions and financial infrastructure. The company specializes in virtual accounts, automated settlement systems, and innovative cross-border payment services. Leveraging its robust domestic network and advanced technological capabilities, Hecto Financial is at the forefront of modernizing financial services by bridging traditional banking systems with digital assets and blockchain-based settlement networks. The company is committed to delivering secure, compliant, and efficient financial tools for enterprise clients and platform partners globally.

About Circle Payments Network

Circle Technology Services, LLC (CTS) is the operator of Circle Payments Network (CPN) and offers products and services to financial institutions that participate in CPN to facilitate their CPN access and integration. CPN connects participating financial institutions around the world, with CTS serving as the technology service provider to participating financial institutions. While CTS does not hold funds or manage accounts on behalf of customers, we enable the global ecosystem of participating financial institutions to connect directly with each other, communicate securely, and settle directly with each other. CTS is not a party to transactions between participating financial institutions facilitated by CPN who use CPN to execute transactions at their own risk. Use of CPN is subject to the CPN Rules and the CPN Participation Agreement between CTS and a participating financial institution.

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SOURCE Hecto Financial

• Following subscriptions for Yeolmae Company No. 1, 2, and 3, Hecto Financial has supplied payment solutions for the No. 5 subscription
• No need to open a separate account, improving convenience for investors' payments and reducing issuers' costs
• Plans to continue collaboration with Yeolmae Company and contribute to revitalizing the domestic STO market

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hecto Financial is lowering the barriers to STO investment with its account-based payment solution.

Fintech company Hecto Financial (KOSDAQ 234340, CEO Jong Won Choi) has provided its payment solution for the No. 5 investment contract securities of 'Yeolmae Company,' an operator of a fractional art investment platform.

Yeolmae Company recently completed the electronic disclosure with the Financial Supervisory Service for the No. 5 investment contract securities registration statement. The underlying assets of the No. 5 securities are the iconic work "Pumpkin (Untitled)" by world-renowned artist Yayoi Kusama and the solid gold piece "Golden Memories" by Zhang Xiaogang, called one of China's "Four Heavenly Kings" of contemporary art. As before, Yeolmae Company is combining the two works for a joint issuance, with a total fundraising target of about KRW 800 million.

From July 18 to 24, Yeolmae Company carried out the subscription and payment process for No. 5-1 (Yayoi Kusama, "Pumpkin"), followed by No. 5-2 (Zhang Xiaogang, "Golden Memories") from July 25 to 31.

As the issuer of Korea's first investment contract securities, Yeolmae Company adopts Hecto Financial's account-based payment solution, unlike most other fractional art investment platforms that primarily use securities accounts for payments.

Using Hecto Financial's account-based payment solution to pay for investment contract securities eliminates the need to open a separate account, not only improving the convenience of payment for investors but also reducing issuance costs for the issuer.

A Hecto Financial representative stated, "Hecto Financial will continue to enhance payment convenience for investors in line with the expansion of Korea's STO market, and will work closely with Yeolmae Company to help revitalize the domestic STO market."

Hecto Financial is the only fintech company in Korea that owns the source infrastructure for all payment methods. Recently, in addition to STO payment solutions, it has been working on building a stablecoin distribution infrastructure. Based on its proprietary settlement system under the Electronic Financial Transactions Act, along with AML (Anti-Money Laundering) and Travel Rule compliance systems, Hecto Financial plans to expand its digital asset–based payment ecosystem through partnerships with various domestic and overseas stablecoin issuers and merchants.

STO (Security Token Offering) is a financial service that issues real-world assets as blockchain-based tokens, enabling "fractional investment." It allows high-value assets, such as artworks or real estate, to be issued and made available for investment in small amounts. Meanwhile, in Korea, STO-related legislation is currently awaiting review, with institutionalization on the horizon.

About Hecto Financial

Hecto Financial is a company that, based on its leading position in cash-based easy payment solutions, provides a wide range of payment services—including firm banking, municipality-specific services, PG (payment gateway), and VAN (value-added network)—to the public sector, financial institutions, e-commerce, and platform industries. In particular, it focuses on settlement and remittance solutions for global e-commerce, expanding its presence in the fintech business sector.

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SOURCE Hecto Financial