SINGAPORE, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Visa, the world's leader in digital payments, announced its participation in BLOOM (Borderless, Liquid, Open, Online, Multi-currency), a new initiative led by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) designed to extend settlement capabilities offered by financial institutions, including enabling interoperability between traditional payment systems and stablecoin-based payment rails.
The initiative brings together industry participants to address how financial institutions can benefit from faster, more programmable forms of payment without sacrificing the safeguards that underpin trust in the financial system. As part of this effort, Nium is Visa's first partner to pilot the use of stablecoins for settlement under BLOOM, exploring new ways to move money across borders more efficiently while continuing to leverage Visa's trusted payment network, security, and compliance capabilities.
Today, payment settlements typically take place on business days. Through this pilot, both organisations are exploring how stablecoins can enable settlements to occur seven days a week, including weekends and public holidays. This will help reduce delays, improve efficiency, and provide participating financial institutions with faster access to funds. The pilot will support regulated stablecoins that are backed by major currencies, including US dollar and euro-denominated stablecoins.
For businesses, this could mean greater efficiency in how payments are sent, received and managed. For consumers, it could pave the way for more seamless payment experiences regardless of the underlying technology powering the transaction. For the broader financial ecosystem, it represents an opportunity to advance innovation without compromising trust.
"The future of payments will be shaped by how different forms of money and payment networks work together for different use cases," said Adeline Kim, Group Country Manager for Regional Southeast Asia and SVP, Global Clients & Acquirers, Asia Pacific, Visa. "Through BLOOM and our pilot with Nium in Singapore, we are exploring how stablecoins can complement existing payment infrastructure, enabling greater flexibility in settlement while preserving the security, resilience and compliance standards that underpin global commerce. As digital payments continue to evolve, interoperability will be critical to delivering meaningful value across the financial ecosystem."
"This pilot with Visa under BLOOM is a meaningful step in our partnership to shape the next phase of payments in the region," said Amaresh Mohan, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at Nium. "We're building foundational infrastructure for seamless interoperability between traditional and stablecoin-based rails. This convergence is not only inevitable, it's essential. By bringing together the security and trust of established payment networks with the efficiency and programmability of digital currencies, we unlock real value for financial institutions and their customers. BLOOM demonstrates that innovation and compliance advance together," he added.
As one of the world's leading financial and innovation hubs, Singapore continues to play a key role in advancing responsible digital finance. Through collaboration across the public and private sectors, initiatives such as BLOOM are helping establish the foundations for a more connected, interoperable and trusted financial ecosystem.
About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, sellers, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.
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Visa Joins MAS-Led BLOOM Initiative to Connect Traditional Payments and Stablecoin Networks
Visa Joins MAS-Led BLOOM Initiative to Connect Traditional Payments and Stablecoin Networks
A state- and city-backed track pairs the Seoul ANCHOR Project with the university's own global scholarship, waiving 100 percent of tuition for selected students in the natural sciences and engineering — and adding research, internship and Korean-language support on top.
SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For a prospective graduate student weighing a move to Korea, the arithmetic usually begins with tuition. Sogang University Graduate School is betting that removing that line from the calculation — entirely, for a defined group of international students in science and engineering — will change who applies, and who stays.
Through the SOGANG RISE SURPASS TRACK, eligible international students admitted to the natural sciences and engineering fields of the General Graduate School can receive a 50 percent tuition scholarship funded through the Seoul ANCHOR Project and a further 50 percent through the Sogang Global Scholarship. Stacked, the two awards amount to a full tuition waiver. Admission fees and other applicable mandatory fees are not included.
The track sits within Subproject 1-2, "Attracting International Talent for Advanced Future Industries," under the Seoul ANCHOR Project, an initiative supported by the Ministry of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Beyond the tuition line
The program is described as more than a discount. Alongside the waiver, the SOGANG RISE SURPASS TRACK may provide academic support grants, research-publication incentives, Korean-language proficiency enhancement grants, internship support and other assistance tied to academic and career development.
The intent, according to the university, is to let international students concentrate on graduate-level study and research while building familiarity with Korea's academic, research and industry environments — the practical fluency that often determines whether a foreign graduate can convert a Korean degree into a Korean career.
A research university with a stated purpose
Sogang University Graduate School operates under the motto "Obedire Veritati" — "Be Obedient to the Truth" — and locates its research-oriented academic environment in the heart of Seoul. Its Jesuit educational tradition emphasizes rigorous scholarship, critical inquiry and the pursuit of knowledge, and its graduate programs are framed around developing researchers, professionals, innovators and global leaders.
The graduate school offers master's and doctoral programs across 39 departments spanning the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering and interdisciplinary fields, with close faculty mentorship a recurring feature of how the university describes graduate study there.
Its academic reach extends past its own campus. Sogang maintains exchange and cross-registration arrangements with other universities in Seoul — an arrangement that lets students broaden coursework and research connections across several of the capital's major institutions.
The community a student would join
More than 2,000 students are currently enrolled in the graduate school, among them approximately 250 international students from a range of academic and cultural backgrounds. The university points to that community as a working environment for academic exchange and collaboration both inside and outside the classroom.
The alumni base is considerably larger. Sogang has awarded graduate degrees to approximately 14,670 master's degree holders and 2,400 doctoral degree holders.
How admission works
Applicants to master's programs are generally required to hold a bachelor's degree; applicants to doctoral programs are generally required to hold both bachelor's and master's degrees. Depending on the department, applicants may need to submit Korean-language proficiency scores such as TOPIK, or English-language proficiency scores including IELTS or TOEFL. Language-test exemptions may be available under certain conditions.
Language proficiency also carries financial weight independent of the STEM track. Students who meet the relevant TOPIK or English-language test requirements — including IELTS, TOEFL iBT and NEW TEPS — may be eligible for the Sogang Global Scholarship, which covers 30 percent to 80 percent of tuition depending on language proficiency scores and scholarship tier.
Looking ahead
For international students and families considering graduate study in Korea, the offer is a specific one: advanced academic and research work in Seoul, supported by faculty mentorship, cross-university academic connections and a range of scholarship options — and, for a defined group in the sciences and engineering, no tuition bill at the end of it.
Detailed information on admissions requirements, scholarship eligibility and application procedures is available through the official guidelines of Sogang University Graduate School.
Graduate School of Sogang University
gradsch@sogang.ac.kr
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Sogang University Opens a Full-Tuition Path for International STEM Graduate Students in Seoul
