Latest Paycoin (PCI) News Update

By CMC AI
28 January 2026 06:53AM (UTC+0)

What are people saying about PCI?

TLDR

Paycoin’s South Korean roots are sprouting fresh partnerships and skepticism. Here’s what’s trending:

  1. Emart24 adoption – PCI now accepted at 14,000+ Korean stores

  2. Binance Pay collab – Building infrastructure for crypto payments

  3. Circle alliance – Integrating USDC into Paycoin’s ecosystem

  4. Kimchi Coin déjà vu – Experts warn of volatility risks

Deep Dive

1. @payprotocol: Emart24 adds PCI payments bullish

“Users can pay with $BTC, $ETH, and $PCI in any emart24 stores in Korea”
– @payprotocol (13.5K followers · 6 Nov 2025 12:55 UTC)
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What this means: Bullish for PCI’s real-world utility, expanding its merchant network to 14,000+ Korean outlets. Adoption growth could drive demand if transaction volumes rise.

2. CoinMarketCap: Binance Pay infrastructure deal bullish

Danal (PCI’s operator) will build Binance Pay’s South Korean infrastructure ahead of new crypto regulations. The partnership focuses on compliant crypto-fiat transactions.
Strategic Expansion article (5 Dec 2025)
View article
What this means: Bullish long-term – PCI’s parent firm gains credibility through Binance collaboration, though direct price impact depends on merchant adoption rates.

3. CoinMarketCap: Circle Alliance Program mixed

Danal joined Circle’s stablecoin initiative to integrate USDC into Paycoin’s ecosystem, targeting cross-border payments and regulatory clarity.
Revolutionary Move article (18 Dec 2025)
View article
What this means: Mixed – While USDC integration could simplify crypto payments for users, regulatory hurdles around foreign stablecoins in Korea remain unresolved.

4. CoinMarketCap: “Kimchi Coin” volatility warning bearish

Analysts caution that PCI’s 39.6% June 2025 surge resembled past “hype-driven” Korean altcoin rallies, noting its 2023 collapse.
Kimchi Coins Take Off article (16 Jun 2025)
View article
What this means: Bearish short-term – High volume-to-market cap ratios (23.8M/73.6M = ~32% as of June 2025) signal speculative trading, increasing downside risk if sentiment shifts.

Conclusion

The consensus on Paycoin is cautiously bullish, driven by merchant growth and institutional partnerships, but tempered by volatility concerns. While its real-world payment use cases are expanding through emart24 and Binance deals, traders should monitor turnover rates (currently 1.73%) for liquidity shifts. Watch Q1 2026 metrics on PCI’s transaction volumes post-Binance Pay integration – sustained adoption could validate its payment-focused thesis.

What is next on PCI’s roadmap?

TLDR

Paycoin's development continues with these milestones:

  1. Domestic Regulatory Progress & PCI Relaunch (2026) – Finalizing business model changes with Korean authorities to resume PCI payments for local merchants.

  2. Global Market Expansion to Singapore, Japan, UAE (2026) – Sequentially launching PCI payment services in key international markets through local partnerships.

  3. PayProtocol Layer 2 Development (Long-term) – Building a dedicated Layer 2 blockchain to improve transaction speed and cost for real-world payments.

Deep Dive

1. Domestic Regulatory Progress & PCI Relaunch (2026)

Overview: The core near-term priority is completing a change in business model mandated by South Korean financial authorities. According to a March 2023 announcement, PayProtocol (Paycoin's operator) is in communication with regulators and banks to secure a bank account and report the new model (Paycoin Blog). Once approved, this will allow the domestic service to resume PCI payments for its existing network of ~150,000 merchants, alongside continuing support for other major cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH.

What this means: This is bullish for PCI because regulatory clarity and banking integration are critical for sustainable growth in its primary market, potentially unlocking renewed utility and demand from Korean users and merchants. The risk is that regulatory timelines are uncertain and could delay progress.

2. Global Market Expansion to Singapore, Japan, UAE (2026)

Overview: Paycoin plans to launch its PCI payment service sequentially in international markets, starting with Singapore, Japan, and the UAE. The company has already secured a Swiss license for European operations and formed strategic partnerships with local licensed firms like "Triple A" in Singapore and "UNIVA Paycast Ltd." in Japan to facilitate this expansion (Paycoin Blog).

What this means: This is bullish for PCI as it diversifies the user base beyond South Korea and taps into new payment ecosystems, which could significantly increase transaction volume and adoption. The bearish risk is that executing in multiple regulatory jurisdictions is complex and resource-intensive.

3. PayProtocol Layer 2 Development (Long-term)

Overview: The long-term technical vision involves developing a PayProtocol Layer 2 blockchain. This aims to solve the chronic issues of high fees and slow speeds on Layer 1 networks by connecting Paycoin's merchant and payment infrastructure to external blockchains, specifically for real-life payments (Paycoin Blog).

What this means: This is neutral-to-bullish for PCI as a successful L2 could greatly enhance network scalability and utility, making it more competitive for daily payments. However, as a long-term, technically complex project with no firm deadline, its impact is uncertain and far off.

Conclusion

Paycoin's trajectory is firmly focused on cementing its role in real-world payments, with immediate steps tied to Korean regulatory progress and international growth, supported by a long-term scalability vision. How will the completion of its new business model impact merchant adoption and PCI's utility in the coming months?

What is the latest news on PCI?

TLDR

Paycoin's operator is forging high-profile partnerships to cement its role in South Korea's digital payment future. Here are the latest developments:

  1. Danal Joins Circle Alliance Program (18 December 2025) – First Korean firm to partner with USDC issuer Circle, targeting stablecoin services.

  2. Danal to Build Binance Pay Infrastructure (5 December 2025) – Secured contract to develop core payment rails for Binance in South Korea.

  3. Paycoin Adds emart24 as Merchant (6 November 2025) – Network expands as users can now pay with PCI, BTC, and ETH at all emart24 stores.

Deep Dive

1. Danal Joins Circle Alliance Program (18 December 2025)

Overview: Danal, the operator behind Paycoin (PCI), has become the first South Korean payment company to join the Circle Alliance Program. This global initiative by USDC issuer Circle aims to co-develop regulated stablecoin services tailored for the Korean market, focusing on cross-border payments and merchant solutions. What this means: This is bullish for PCI because it strategically positions its ecosystem at the intersection of local payment networks and global dollar-denominated assets like USDC. It could significantly enhance Paycoin's utility for remittances and compliant crypto payments, though success hinges on navigating Korea's strict foreign exchange regulations. (BitcoinWorld)

2. Danal to Build Binance Pay Infrastructure (5 December 2025)

Overview: Danal has secured a pivotal contract to build the core infrastructure for Binance Pay in South Korea. The partnership is timed with upcoming virtual asset regulations, aiming to ensure stable and compliant service delivery from the outset. What this means: This is neutral-to-bullish for PCI as it underscores Danal's expertise as a trusted local infrastructure provider. While it may not directly boost PCI's token utility, it strengthens the parent company's market position and could lead to broader ecosystem integrations long-term. (BitcoinWorld)

3. Paycoin Adds emart24 as Merchant (6 November 2025)

Overview: Paycoin's merchant network expanded with the addition of emart24, a major convenience store chain. Users can now pay with PCI, Bitcoin, and Ethereum at any of its stores across South Korea. What this means: This is bullish for PCI as it directly increases the token's real-world utility and adoption. Adding a prominent retail chain enhances everyday use cases, driving transactional demand and reinforcing Paycoin's value proposition as a payment-focused cryptocurrency. (Paycoin)

Conclusion

Paycoin is advancing through strategic partnerships that expand its utility and embed it deeper into South Korea's fintech infrastructure. Will increased regulatory clarity further accelerate its adoption as a mainstream payment tool?

What is the latest update in PCI’s codebase?

TLDR

Paycoin’s codebase updates are not publicly documented in recent sources.

  1. No Recent Codebase Updates Found (2025) – Development activity focuses on product rollouts, not protocol changes.

Deep Dive

1. No Recent Codebase Updates Found (2025)

Overview: Publicly available data does not highlight recent commits, upgrades, or technical improvements to Paycoin’s core protocol. Development efforts appear centered on expanding real-world payment integrations.

Paycoin’s underlying architecture, PayProtocol, relies on Hyperledger Fabric—a private blockchain designed for enterprise use. This setup emphasizes permissioned nodes and centralized governance, reducing the need for frequent public code updates.

What this means: This is neutral for Paycoin because its infrastructure prioritizes stability over open-source agility. While this supports merchant adoption, the lack of visible code activity may raise questions about long-term innovation.

(Source)

Conclusion

Paycoin’s development strategy prioritizes practical payment solutions over transparent codebase evolution. How might its closed-loop architecture balance scalability with decentralization demands as adoption grows?

CMC AI can make mistakes. Not financial advice.