SBI Digital Markets, a crypto unit of Japanese securities and banking giant SBI Holdings, has appointed a former Bank of Korea official as principal consultant to expand its presence in South Korea.

The company on Wednesday announced the appointment of Jai Yung Byun, who previously served in multiple leadership roles at the Bank of Korea, the country’s central bank. He has led international policy planning and foreign exchange analysis at the central bank. Byun was also a chief representative at the Bank of Korea’s Washington D.C. Representative Office.

Byun started to advise SBI Digital Markets, the subsidiary of SBI Digital Asset Holdings, in 2023. Before joining SBI, Byun served as the South Korean country manager for Northern Trust. “His expertise has been instrumental in navigating …