BANGKOK, May 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Top Thai and Indonesian officials will gather with senior figures from SCBX, Bitkub, Circle, Tether and Ascend Bit, the blockchain venture of Thailand's CP Group, at Southeast Asia Blockchain Week 2026 (SEABW 2026), held May 20-21 at ICONSIAM Hall in Bangkok. Organized by Hashed and ShardLab, the Web3 innovation and research venture of Hashed and SCBX, the event arrives as the region positions itself at the center of the next phase of global Web3 adoption.
With Southeast Asia emerging as one of the world's most closely watched digital-asset markets, SEABW 2026 makes Bangkok a meeting ground for the public- and private-sector leaders shaping how adoption unfolds in practice.
The policy track anchors the program. From Thailand, delegates from the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Thailand Digital Asset Association (TDA) will outline how the host country is approaching digital innovation, regulatory reform and long-term ecosystem development. From Indonesia, Muhammad Neil El Himam, Deputy for Digital Creativity and Technology Creativity at the Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency (EKRAF), brings the perspective of a country whose digital economy is gaining regional weight. The result is a rare cross-section of how Southeast Asia's largest markets are thinking about Web3, a conversation now being shaped across government, regulators, industry and politics.
Thai industry will be represented by Kaweewut Temphuwapat,Chief Innovation Officer at SCBX & Chief Executive Officer at SCB 10X, and Atthakrit Chimplapibul, co-founder of Bitkub. They will be joined by Apinand Dabpetch, Group Head of Wallet and Growth at True Money and Managing Director of Ascend Bit, the blockchain arm of Ascend Group, the CP Group subsidiary that operates True Money. Between them, the three represent an established financial group pursuing large-scale innovation, a homegrown exchange that has helped push the asset class into the local mainstream, and the blockchain venture of one of Thailand's largest consumer-fintech platforms. Their participation grounds SEABW 2026 in Thailand's evolving financial infrastructure and the country's expanding role in the region's digital-asset economy.
That local presence is matched by a regional and global roster aligned with this year's core themes. David Katz of Circle addresses the policy and strategic outlook for regulated digital assets and USDC across Asia-Pacific. Tether's regional leads Ploy Boonyavee and Eddy Christian Ng speak to the expanding role of stablecoins in payments, market access and cross-border settlement in Southeast Asia. Joining them are StraitsX, Ripple, BitGo, Anchorage Digital, Canton, Avalanche, the Solana Foundation, Xapo Bank, Token X and AWS, covering AI, payment infrastructure, institutional custody, tokenization and real-world deployment. The combined program points to where the market is heading: more practical use cases, stronger institutional participation and deeper integration between on-chain finance and the broader financial system.
Beyond the main stage, curated roundtables create room for more focused exchange on adoption challenges and opportunities specific to the region, lending the program a more strategic, implementation-focused tone.
The event also breaks from the typical format with a performance by K-pop group tripleS. Operated by Modhaus, tripleS is built around an on-chain fan governance system where NFT holders vote on group decisions. This represents how digital culture, fandom and entertainment are converging with the technology across Asia.
"Southeast Asia is at an inflection point for digital finance, and Bangkok is where that conversation is happening. SEABW 2026 reflects our belief that the next chapter of financial technology will be built on open collaboration between regulators, innovators and institutions across the region — and SCBX is proud to be at the center of that." said Kaweewut Temphuwapat, Chief Innovation Officer at SCBX & Chief Executive Officer at SCB 10X.
"Bangkok is where the conversations that matter for Southeast Asia's digital-asset future are happening this year, with regulatory clarity meeting institutional momentum in a way few other markets can match. SEABW 2026 is built around that intersection, and around what comes next as digital assets and AI converge into a single agentic economy. Our job is to bring regulators, institutions and builders into one room so the region's next phase of adoption gets shaped through dialogue, not in silos," said Hojin Kim, CEO at ShardLab.
Sponsorship spans the full stack. Local backing comes from SCBX, SCB 10X and InnovestX, alongside Thai exchanges Bitkub and Bitazza Thailand and tokenization platform Token X. Regional and global support includes Tether, the Solana Foundation and Xapo Bank, with AWS, SOOHO.IO, AriqoX, Tiger Research and StayGold extending the program into infrastructure, security and research. Combined, the partners cover payments, tokenization, exchanges, custody and institutional adoption, positioning SEABW 2026 as the regional forum shaping Southeast Asia's digital finance, technology and culture agenda.
Registration for SEABW 2026 is now open at [https://www.seablockchainweek.org/]. The event takes place May 20-21 at ICONSIAM Hall, Bangkok.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Bangkok Draws Regulators, Stablecoin Giants and K-Pop to Southeast Asia Blockchain Week
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Accelerates Humanoid Commercialization and Expands from Wearables to Integrated Robotics Platforms
SEOUL, South Korea, May 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Global robotics company WIRobotics (Co-CEOs Yeonbaek Lee and Yongjae Kim) announced that it has completed a KRW 95 billion (approximately USD 68 million) Series B funding round. The investment comes approximately two years after the company's Series A financing in March 2024 (KRW 13 billion) and reflects growing confidence in WIRobotics' next-generation robotics technologies and commercialization potential.
JB Investment led the round, joined by InterVest, Hana Ventures, Smilegate Investment, SBVA, NH Investment & Securities, Company K Partners, GU Investment, and FuturePlay.
- Advancing Humanoid Robotics and Physical AI
WIRobotics has been developing its humanoid robotics platform "ALLEX" based on technologies designed to understand and augment human movement. The company was recently selected for NVIDIA's global robotics and AI development initiative, the "Physical AI Fellowship," further validating its technological capabilities and global growth potential.
The company has identified humanoid robotics as its next major growth engine and is accelerating the development of technologies aimed at enabling human-level object manipulation and interaction capabilities. Through collaborations with AWS and NVIDIA, WIRobotics is advancing next-generation Physical AI technologies while also conducting joint research with leading domestic and global research institutions.
In parallel, the company is engaged in discussions with a global automotive manufacturer regarding manufacturing-environment-based platform validation (PoC). WIRobotics plans to launch a research-focused humanoid platform later this year, expand collaborations with global research institutions, and pursue initial commercialization alongside mass-production readiness targeted for late next year.
- Commercial Validation Through WIM
The foundation of WIRobotics' humanoid development comes from years of real-world wearable robotics deployment and accumulated user movement data.
Over the past three years, WIRobotics has built extensive real-world datasets through its wearable walking-assist robot "WIM." Based on this data, the company has developed personalized assistive technologies optimized for individual gait patterns and physical conditions. More recently, WIRobotics expanded into software-driven services through its subscription platform "WIM Premium."
Now entering its third year of commercialization, WIM has surpassed 3,000 cumulative units sold and expanded into key overseas markets including Europe, China, Türkiye, and Japan. Revenue has more than doubled annually, growing from KRW 560 million in 2023 to KRW 1.3 billion in 2024 and KRW 2.79 billion in 2025. In Q1 2026 alone, the company already exceeded its full-year 2024 revenue.
WIM has also received CES Innovation Awards for three consecutive years, demonstrating continued global recognition for its technology and product competitiveness.
WIRobotics believes that the movement data and control technologies accumulated through real-world deployment will become a key competitive advantage in the humanoid robotics era. Through wearable robotics technologies, the company aims to extend independent mobility, healthy lifespan, and active social participation.
- Expanding Global Operations
Building on its commercialization success, WIRobotics is accelerating its global expansion efforts. In Korea, the company continues to expand commercialization channels through directly operated experience centers and department-store retail partnerships.
Internationally, WIRobotics is establishing a North American entity in California while expanding collaborations with global distributors and healthcare networks to strengthen overseas operations and strategic partnerships.
- Scaling Toward Mobile ALLEX Commercialization
The humanoid business is also entering a more advanced commercialization phase. Beginning this year, WIRobotics plans to supply its research-oriented mobile humanoid platform "Mobile ALLEX" to global research institutions and overseas partners, enabling both collaborative R&D and real-world technology validation.
WIRobotics aims to evolve ALLEX beyond a research platform into a next-generation Human Motion Robotics platform capable of natural human interaction. Through partnerships with global research institutions and industrial partners, the company plans to accelerate real-world data acquisition and applied technology development while expanding into broader industrial and service sectors over the long term.
"This investment represents global recognition that the real-world movement data and control technologies accumulated through wearable robotics can evolve into next-generation humanoid robotics," said Yeonbaek Lee, Co-CEO of WIRobotics. "We aim to accelerate the arrival of humanoid robots capable of interacting naturally with people."
Yongjae Kim, Co-CEO of WIRobotics, added, "All investors from our previous Series A round participated again in this Series B financing, demonstrating strong confidence in WIRobotics' technological capabilities and growth potential amid intensifying global humanoid competition. Our mission is to realize humanoids capable of fundamentally human-like interaction and force control, driving a paradigm shift in high-performance manipulation technologies."
He continued, "This investment will further strengthen Korea's humanoid robotics leadership while accelerating mass-production systems and global supply-chain development. Leveraging our proprietary hardware and control technologies, we plan to rapidly expand into Physical AI and intelligent service domains and lead the global humanoid robotics market."
About WIRobotics
WIRobotics is a global robotics company developing wearable and humanoid robotic systems based on human movement data. Since its founding in 2021, the company has commercialized the wearable walking-assist robot "WIM," accumulating extensive real-world user data and control technologies. More recently, WIRobotics has expanded into the Physical AI domain through its humanoid robotics platform "ALLEX."
The company is advancing human-centered robotics technologies spanning from wearable robotics to humanoid systems, with the goal of building next-generation robotics platforms that enhance human mobility and physical capability.
Accelerates Humanoid Commercialization and Expands from Wearables to Integrated Robotics Platforms
SEOUL, South Korea, May 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Global robotics company WIRobotics (Co-CEOs Yeonbaek Lee and Yongjae Kim) announced that it has completed a KRW 95 billion (approximately USD 68 million) Series B funding round. The investment comes approximately two years after the company's Series A financing in March 2024 (KRW 13 billion) and reflects growing confidence in WIRobotics' next-generation robotics technologies and commercialization potential.
JB Investment led the round, joined by InterVest, Hana Ventures, Smilegate Investment, SBVA, NH Investment & Securities, Company K Partners, GU Investment, and FuturePlay.
- Advancing Humanoid Robotics and Physical AI
WIRobotics has been developing its humanoid robotics platform "ALLEX" based on technologies designed to understand and augment human movement. The company was recently selected for NVIDIA's global robotics and AI development initiative, the "Physical AI Fellowship," further validating its technological capabilities and global growth potential.
The company has identified humanoid robotics as its next major growth engine and is accelerating the development of technologies aimed at enabling human-level object manipulation and interaction capabilities. Through collaborations with AWS and NVIDIA, WIRobotics is advancing next-generation Physical AI technologies while also conducting joint research with leading domestic and global research institutions.
In parallel, the company is engaged in discussions with a global automotive manufacturer regarding manufacturing-environment-based platform validation (PoC). WIRobotics plans to launch a research-focused humanoid platform later this year, expand collaborations with global research institutions, and pursue initial commercialization alongside mass-production readiness targeted for late next year.
- Commercial Validation Through WIM
The foundation of WIRobotics' humanoid development comes from years of real-world wearable robotics deployment and accumulated user movement data.
Over the past three years, WIRobotics has built extensive real-world datasets through its wearable walking-assist robot "WIM." Based on this data, the company has developed personalized assistive technologies optimized for individual gait patterns and physical conditions. More recently, WIRobotics expanded into software-driven services through its subscription platform "WIM Premium."
Now entering its third year of commercialization, WIM has surpassed 3,000 cumulative units sold and expanded into key overseas markets including Europe, China, Türkiye, and Japan. Revenue has more than doubled annually, growing from KRW 560 million in 2023 to KRW 1.3 billion in 2024 and KRW 2.79 billion in 2025. In Q1 2026 alone, the company already exceeded its full-year 2024 revenue.
WIM has also received CES Innovation Awards for three consecutive years, demonstrating continued global recognition for its technology and product competitiveness.
WIRobotics believes that the movement data and control technologies accumulated through real-world deployment will become a key competitive advantage in the humanoid robotics era. Through wearable robotics technologies, the company aims to extend independent mobility, healthy lifespan, and active social participation.
- Expanding Global Operations
Building on its commercialization success, WIRobotics is accelerating its global expansion efforts. In Korea, the company continues to expand commercialization channels through directly operated experience centers and department-store retail partnerships.
Internationally, WIRobotics is establishing a North American entity in California while expanding collaborations with global distributors and healthcare networks to strengthen overseas operations and strategic partnerships.
- Scaling Toward Mobile ALLEX Commercialization
The humanoid business is also entering a more advanced commercialization phase. Beginning this year, WIRobotics plans to supply its research-oriented mobile humanoid platform "Mobile ALLEX" to global research institutions and overseas partners, enabling both collaborative R&D and real-world technology validation.
WIRobotics aims to evolve ALLEX beyond a research platform into a next-generation Human Motion Robotics platform capable of natural human interaction. Through partnerships with global research institutions and industrial partners, the company plans to accelerate real-world data acquisition and applied technology development while expanding into broader industrial and service sectors over the long term.
"This investment represents global recognition that the real-world movement data and control technologies accumulated through wearable robotics can evolve into next-generation humanoid robotics," said Yeonbaek Lee, Co-CEO of WIRobotics. "We aim to accelerate the arrival of humanoid robots capable of interacting naturally with people."
Yongjae Kim, Co-CEO of WIRobotics, added, "All investors from our previous Series A round participated again in this Series B financing, demonstrating strong confidence in WIRobotics' technological capabilities and growth potential amid intensifying global humanoid competition. Our mission is to realize humanoids capable of fundamentally human-like interaction and force control, driving a paradigm shift in high-performance manipulation technologies."
He continued, "This investment will further strengthen Korea's humanoid robotics leadership while accelerating mass-production systems and global supply-chain development. Leveraging our proprietary hardware and control technologies, we plan to rapidly expand into Physical AI and intelligent service domains and lead the global humanoid robotics market."
About WIRobotics
WIRobotics is a global robotics company developing wearable and humanoid robotic systems based on human movement data. Since its founding in 2021, the company has commercialized the wearable walking-assist robot "WIM," accumulating extensive real-world user data and control technologies. More recently, WIRobotics has expanded into the Physical AI domain through its humanoid robotics platform "ALLEX."
The company is advancing human-centered robotics technologies spanning from wearable robotics to humanoid systems, with the goal of building next-generation robotics platforms that enhance human mobility and physical capability.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
WIRobotics Secures Approximately KRW 100 Billion (USD 68 Million) Series B Funding
