ZD Ventures, an early-stage startup specialized investment firm, announced on the 9th that it has made a Seed investment in Shield Security, a neo-banking platform specializing in global export companies that utilizes stablecoins. The investment amount was not disclosed. This marks ZD Ventures’ second global investment execution after the formation of its first fund.

Shield Security is a B2B export company-specific neo-banking platform targeting the Latin American trade market. By utilizing stablecoins, it supports ultra-fast banking and instant payment services, and is evaluated to have improved payment speed by more than 10 times compared to existing methods. Through this, Shield Security successfully achieved rapid market penetration, reaching cumulative transaction volume of USD 50 million (approximately KRW 65 billion) within one year of its launch. Notably, in addition to ZD Ventures, prominent VCs such as Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Kraken Ventures, and Alchemy Ventures have also participated as investors.

Recently, stablecoins have emerged as a key trend both domestically and internationally, and the digital currency ecosystem is rapidly expanding. In particular, based on high stability, their potential for use as a global payment method is attracting attention. In the United States, the Clarity Act, which outlines the core of stablecoin regulation, has passed, accelerating innovation at the national level. Korea is also preparing institutional foundations by proposing the Digital Asset Basic Act, which includes regulations related to stablecoins. Accordingly, major banking institutions and fintech companies are proactively responding to the stablecoin market with trademark applications, and movements for the development of Korean Won stablecoins are emerging.

Shield Security’s robust stablecoin payment infrastructure technology is cited as its greatest strength. In particular, it has demonstrated technological excellence by innovatively improving traditional banking processes, which required massive costs and time, through stablecoin-based API and GenAI-based compliance automation technology. Furthermore, it has secured cost efficiency by realizing remittance fee reductions of up to 80% compared to existing methods. It has also solidified its credibility and is driving full-fledged business expansion by acquiring multiple global licenses, including the US Money Transmitter License.

With this investment, Shield Security plans to accelerate its global expansion in the B2B payment sector. Beyond the Latin American region it has already entered, it aims to rapidly expand its market share in the B2B electronics trade market and focus on securing key clients and increasing transaction volume. In addition, it plans to diversify sustainable revenue sources through corporate customized financial service models such as B2B SaaS, FBO accounts, and credit facilities, thereby driving Shield Security’s growth.

Ha-kyung Kim, CEO of ZD Ventures, stated, “Shield Security is presenting a new paradigm in the global B2B export payment market by overcoming the limitations of traditional financial systems.” He added, “ZD Ventures decided to invest, highly valuing Shield Security’s unique technology and growth potential.”