benzinga.com
South Korea’s K-Bank signed a strategic partnership with Ripple to test blockchain-based cross-border remittances as XRP ) fails to break $1.45 for the fourth time in two months.
The K-Bank Partnership
K-Bank CEO Choi Woo-hyung and Ripple Asia Pacific Head Fiona Murray recently signed the deal at K-Bank’s headquarters in Seoul.
The partnership will test on-chain cross-border remittances to countries including the United Arab Emirates and Thailand using Ripple’s Palisade wallet.
The two companies are now in phase two of testing, which evaluates how blockchain-based transfers can improve speed, cost, and transparency compared to traditional banking rails.
Traditional international bank transfers route through correspondent banking networks like SWIFT, which can take days to settle and charge fees at each intermediary along the way.
By contrast, on-chain remittances move funds directly across a blockchain network, settling in minutes with fees paid only to the network rather than multiple middlemen.
Preparing For Stablecoin Regulations
K-Bank is preparing for stablecoin regulations as South Korean lawmakers finalize the Digital Asset Basic Act.
Major Korean financial institutions have been signing infrastructure deals with global blockchain companies ahead of the law taking effect.
Moreover, K-Bank holds a monopoly position as the exclusive banking partner for Upbit, South Korea’s largest crypto exchange.
Korean regulations require all crypto exchange users to link a verified bank account before trading, with each major exchange paired exclusively with one bank.
The arrangement helped K-Bank’s user base grow from roughly 2 million in 2020 to 15 million by the end of 2025.
The Fourth Rejection At $1.45
The ascending triangle that has defined the past two months remains intact, with the upper boundary sitting right at $1.44-$1.46—exactly where today’s rejection occurred.
Price has now tested this zone four times and failed to close above it convincingly each time.
The SAR at $1.5053 sits just above as the next resistance after the trendline breaks. The MACD remains positive with both lines above zero, confirming the underlying trend hasn’t flipped despite today’s red candle.
Support sits at $1.40, then $1.37 (rising trendline floor). However, resistance clusters at $1.44-$1.46 (macro trendline), then $1.5053 (SAR), then $1.60.
Four rejections at the same level—the fifth attempt usually breaks through. Hold $1.40 and the setup stays alive.
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