Naver Financial and Upbit Combination Undergoes Full Review by the Fair Trade Commission... Attention on Digital Finance Restructuring

Source: TokenPost Original Title: The Fair Trade Commission has taken action against the Naver Financial-Upbit merger… A major shift in digital finance is anticipated. Original Link: The Fair Trade Commission has officially begun its review of the merger between Naver Financial and Dunamu, which operates Upbit. The impact of the merger between platforms on the overall digital financial market is drawing attention.

The merger proposal between Naver Financial, the number one domestic easy payment service, and Dunamu, which operates the virtual asset exchange Upbit, has been submitted for review by the Fair Trade Commission. This combination is a merger between large platforms encompassing finance and digital assets, and it raises the possibility of having a significant impact on the overall digital market.

The Fair Trade Commission has received the merger notification submitted by the two companies and has begun the formal review process. The FTC stated, “Both Naver Financial and Dunamu are platform operators with strong market dominance in their respective fields,” and explained that they plan to focus on evaluating the potential for competition restriction and the impact on consumers, considering the extensive repercussions this merger may have on the digital ecosystem.

According to the current relevant laws, the review period by the Fair Trade Commission is generally 30 days, but it can be extended up to 90 days considering the complexity of the matter. Additionally, if data corrections are needed, the time taken will be excluded from the review period, so it may take more than 120 days for an actual conclusion to be reached. This suggests that since this merger is not a simple integration between companies but rather the establishment of a complex platform system, in-depth review is inevitable.

Both companies held board meetings and decided to integrate Dunamu as a subsidiary of Naver Financial through a comprehensive stock exchange. This will elevate Dunamu to the status of a grandchild company of Naver. This decision is understood as part of Naver's strategy to operate digital finance, virtual assets, and fintech comprehensively. Until now, simple payment and virtual assets have been perceived as separate areas, but attention is drawn to whether these two business areas can create substantial synergy after this merger.

If this corporate merger is approved, Naver will secure a major foothold in digital asset management beyond fintech. Among experts, there are mixed expectations that such large platform-led financial and asset integration could drive innovation in the relevant markets, while there are also concerns that it could stifle market competition. In particular, there are calls for follow-up regulations to support the potential expansion of some businesses that exploit regulatory gray areas.

This trend has the potential to accelerate a platform-centric structure where digital finance and the virtual asset industry converge in the future. As the judgments of regulatory authorities can serve as a litmus test that signals the market, the entire industry is focused on the conclusion of the Fair Trade Commission.