NEXUS has struck a deal with KRWQ that will see the Korean Won-pegged stablecoin used for payments and payouts across its blockchain network and its app marketplace, ONEstore.

According to a release, the pair signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) — a non-binding agreement setting out the terms of a future partnership — on August 18th. It covers the AI and global games serviced by NEXUS and ONEstore.

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies built to track the value of another asset. In KRWQ's case, that asset is the Korean Won (KRW), at a rate of 1:1. NEXUS has described the deal as the world's first instance of KRW-denominated on-chain payment and settlement being applied to global content, though that claim has not been independently verified.

KRWQ will be added to ONEpay, the company's payment service, with both sides working towards won-denominated payment options on global ONEstore. Developers and publishers listing on the store will also be able to pick KRWQ when they get paid, on top of the currencies already available to them.

Trading pairs are on the table too. The two companies are reviewing options that would let users swap KRWQ for ONEUSD ($ONEUSD)orONE($ONE) inside ONEchain, NEXUS' mainnet. KRWQ-linked wallets, apps and mini-apps are also set to be onboarded onto global ONEstore.

Dave Shin, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of KRWQ, said: "Games and digital content are the areas where the Korean Won is used most actively, and ONEstore is the channel that expands that demand globally." Shin added: "Once KRWQ is introduced to ONEchain and ONEpay, developers will be able to handle everything from pricing to payment and settlement on-chain in Korean Won, while checking reserves in real time."

Henry Chang, CEO of NEXUS, said: "Applying KRWQ to global AI game payments will provide an empirical answer to the recurring question of where Korean Won stablecoins can actually be used."

What is KRWQ?

The coin was built jointly by stablecoin protocol Frax and blockchain-AI project IQ, then issued by Brainpower Labs in 2025. The release states that collateral backing it is held at more than 100% of the amount issued, and that issuance figures and reserve verification results are made public.

In June, KRWQ became the first Korean Won stablecoin to adopt Chainlink Proof of Reserve, a service that checks whether a token is actually backed by the reserves its issuer says it holds.