CertiK and WEMIX Strengthen Partnership to Advance Web3 Security, Compliance, and Stablecoin Innovation in Korea

Editor’s Note: Quotes from the fireside chat have been lightly edited for clarity and flow while remaining faithful to the speakers’ original meaning.

Recently, at Korean Blockchain Week (KBW) 2025, Professor Ronghui Gu, Co-Founder and CEO of CertiK, the largest Web3 security services provider, and Shane Kim, CEO of WEMIX and Vice President of Wemade, held a fireside chat exploring the future of blockchain security, AI-driven threats, and stablecoin development. Their conversation underscored how CertiK’s technology and WEMIX’s large-scale infrastructure are together shaping a safer, more transparent, and more compliant Web3 ecosystem in Korea.

Building Security for Complex Web3 Ecosystems

Evolving blockchain infrastructure introduces new security challenges. During the fireside chat, Shane Kim noted that, while Layer 1 blockchains are secure at their core, “the ecosystem becomes more complex with more infrastructures, services, and dapps, and those additional layers can introduce weak points.”

He pointed out that, in just a few years, Web3 projects have transitioned from simple smart contract applications to sophisticated ecosystems rivaling traditional finance (TradFi) and gaming. “We now operate massive front-end and back-end systems, and each new layer adds potential vulnerabilities,” Kim said, emphasizing the growing need for robust compliance and security frameworks.

Professor Gu explained how CertiK’s collaboration with WEMIX began in 2023 to address precisely these risks. “When we first started working with WEMIX, we saw how ambitious their goals were, pushing gaming and financial systems onto decentralized infrastructure. It required us to adapt our tools, build new auditing frameworks, and extend our technology to secure this environment.”

Over the past two years, CertiK has completed more than 120 security audits for WEMIX, and introduced advanced monitoring frameworks to strengthen operational visibility and system integrity. These joint initiatives help ensure that WEMIX’s infrastructure and processes meet the industry-leading standards of security and reliability.

The collaboration also highlights CertiK’s broader role as a security enabler for next-generation Layer 1 ecosystems, demonstrating how the company’s technology stack can scale to meet the complexity of real-world Web3 applications across multiple verticals.

Upholding Compliance and Internal Control in the Korean Market

For WEMIX, whose parent company Wemade is publicly listed in Korea, maintaining strong internal controls is mandatory. Kim recalled how compliance was an early hurdle, stating, “Back in 2019, major auditors were still trying to understand blockchain, but as a listed company, we had to meet their standards. Balancing innovation speed with strict compliance requirements was extremely challenging.”

The conversation underscored that the Korean market operates under some of the world’s most stringent corporate governance frameworks, especially for technology companies handling digital assets. In this environment, blockchain enterprises must meet traditional audit standards and satisfy new security expectations for decentralized systems.

CertiK’s partnership helps bridge that gap by combining formal verification technologies with localized compliance expertise, enabling enterprises like WEMIX to navigate regulatory and operational complexity. The collaboration exemplifies how CertiK’s mission to “Elevate Your Web3 Journey” translates into real-world solutions for Korean enterprises moving from Web2 into Web3.

Combining AI-Driven Security

A key part of the discussion centered on the rising threat of AI-generated bots in blockchain ecosystems. Professor Gu revealed that, across major chains like Ethereum, “more than half of newly created tokens are generated by bots, often with scam intent.” These AI-driven exploits are evolving faster than ever, creating what Professor Gu called “a war between AIs.” He explained that scammers use AI to generate fake tokens that target and exploit other AI bots, drastically shortening the scam lifecycle to just a few hours, in some cases.

For WEMIX’s gaming ecosystem, this trend poses a unique challenge. Massive bot networks target airdrops and in-game tokens, distorting economies and degrading user experience. “We once banned over 100,000 accounts in a single day,” Kim shared.

CertiK is tackling this frontier by deploying advanced behavioral analytics and on-chain fund-tracking technologies to identify bot patterns and mitigate abuse. Professor Gu stated, “WEMIX’s transaction volume is among the highest in the industry, so we’ve developed new analytical tools to track transaction behaviors, identify suspicious clusters, and flag abnormal activities. These AI-based defenses represent the next evolution in blockchain security.”

Elevating Korea’s Stablecoin Ecosystem

The fireside chat also highlighted Korea’s growing leadership in the stablecoin sector, a field increasingly viewed as the foundation for blockchain-based financial systems. Wemade recently showcased its KRW-backed stablecoin project, STABLE ONE, a milestone for the country’s blockchain infrastructure and a demonstration of Korea’s ambition to become a global digital assets hub. Developed as next-generation infrastructure for stablecoin issuance and operation, STABLE ONE is designed to ensure interoperability with global ecosystems through full EVM compatibility, high-performance processing exceeding 3,000 transactions per second, and features such as delegated fee support and enterprise-grade APIs tailored to Korea’s financial IT environment.

Professor Gu detailed how CertiK’s long-term experience with global stablecoin issuers, including Tether (USDT), Paxos, Ripple, and PayPal USD, positions the company to ensure the KRW project meets international compliance standards.

“We’ve worked on the design and formal verification of stablecoin systems for years,” Professor Gu explained. “By mathematically modeling frameworks like the GENIUS Act, we can prove that a stablecoin’s smart contracts comply with regulatory requirements. We’re applying the same rigor to Wemade’s KRW initiative.”

This effort builds on CertiK’s leadership in bridging regulatory frameworks across jurisdictions, with Professor Gu’s experience advising both Hong Kong’s Web3 Task Force and Singapore’s Monetary Authority (MAS). Through these global linkages, CertiK is positioned to help Korean projects like WEMIX expand beyond local markets into global financial networks while maintaining best-in-class security and compliance.

Commitment and Collaboration for the Future

Both leaders emphasized that security is essential for mass adoption. “As blockchain moves toward mainstream use, trust is everything,” Kim said. “In Korea, even major corporations are facing cybersecurity incidents. The only way to gain public confidence is by proving that our systems are secure.”

Professor Gu echoed that sentiment, pointing to WEMIX’s long-term investment in security as evidence of its seriousness. “WEMIX has conducted over 120 audits with us, far beyond the industry norm. It shows real commitment to the safety and sustainability of its ecosystem.”

Today, WEMIX holds a AAA Skynet rating on CertiK’s platform, one of only a handful of projects worldwide to achieve this distinction, and has generated hundreds of thousands of positive community votes.

CertiK’s work with WEMIX reflects a shared vision for a secure, transparent, and globally competitive Korean Web3 ecosystem. From pioneering on-chain compliance solutions to supporting stablecoin innovation and combatting AI-based threats, both companies are setting new standards for how security and scalability can simultaneously evolve.