South Korean Merchants Could Save Up to $3.8 Billion Annually With Stablecoins

South Korea’s budget office estimates that stablecoin adoption could save the country’s merchants as much as $3.8 billion a year. The assessment highlights a potential cost benefit for businesses using digital tokens for payments, while also warning of risks to the financial system. According to CoinDesk, the office said wider stablecoin use could reduce the role banks play as credit intermediaries. It also cautioned that token pegs could become unstable if large numbers of holders sought redemptions at the same time. The comments frame stablecoins as both a possible source of savings for merchants and a financial-stability concern for policymakers. The budget office’s warning focuses on the effects adoption could have on banks and on the ability of stablecoins to maintain their pegs during periods of mass redemptions.