{"id":"terry-kim","title":"Terry Kim","content":"**Terry Kim** is the co-founder of BDACS, a digital asset custody company for institutional clients. He has held several executive roles within the company, including Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Co-CEO, and is a notable figure in the development of South Korea's digital asset infrastructure. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-Zd7rjverxr) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-1nQ7emMxgO)\n\n## Education\n\nKim's academic background combines engineering and law. He attended Cornell University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering and a Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering. He subsequently obtained a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from the American University, Washington College of Law. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-Zd7rjverxr) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-HP3drDh6Jx) [\\[12\\]](#cite-id-ezz6hPU0Qp)\n\n## Career\n\nPrior to his work in the digital asset industry, Terry Kim was a partner at Lee & Ko, LLC, a prominent law firm in South Korea. In January 2022, he co-founded BDACS Inc. with Hongyul (Harry) Ryoo in Busan, which is designated as Korea's only [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) regulatory-free special zone. The company was established to provide secure, regulated digital asset custody, trade settlement, and market access solutions for institutional investors, addressing a need for reliable infrastructure in the region.\n\nAs a leader at BDACS, Kim has been instrumental in guiding the company's strategic direction and growth. He has been cited with various executive titles, including Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Co-CEO. Under his leadership, BDACS achieved key milestones, including receiving its Information Security Management System (ISMS) provisional certification in November 2023, a critical step toward obtaining a full Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license in South Korea. In January 2024, the company announced the completion of a seed funding round with investors such as Prodigy Investment, the Blizzard Fund, Mask Ventures, and IDG Capital [Blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain).\n\nKim has also overseen the formation of significant strategic partnerships. In May 2023, BDACS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with [Polymesh](https://iq.wiki/wiki/polymesh) to develop a security token project focused on K-culture, designed to operate within a regulatory sandbox. On the collaboration, Kim stated, \"Polymesh and BDACS will collaborate closely with regulators and industry experts to establish new benchmarks for security tokens and digital asset custody, driving [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) innovation in Korea and beyond.\" In January 2024, BDACS announced a partnership with [Avalanche](https://iq.wiki/wiki/avalanche) to provide institutional custody for Avalanche-native assets and [staking](https://iq.wiki/wiki/staking) support. Regarding this partnership, Kim commented, \"Partnering with Avalanche is a logical choice, given its significant and expanding presence in the Korean market... Through this collaboration, we look forward to providing businesses, institutions, and entrepreneurs in the [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) space with the tools needed to thrive in Korea and internationally.\" [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-1nQ7emMxgO) [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-ApThoIsBAG) [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-Zd7rjverxr) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-HP3drDh6Jx) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-v13cQOXqBQ)\n\n### Public Appearances\n\nKim is a frequent speaker at industry events, focusing on institutional adoption of digital assets and regulatory developments in Korea. He was scheduled as a keynote speaker for [Korea Blockchain Week](https://iq.wiki/wiki/korea-blockchain-week-kbw) 2025 on September 23, 2025, with a session titled \"Core Values and Prime Custody in Korea’s Institutional Moment\" on a stage co-hosted by BDACS and Woori Bank.\n\nAdditionally, he was slated to appear as a panelist at \"Stradivarius Meets Gagliano in Seoul,\" an official side event of Korea [Blockchain Week](https://iq.wiki/wiki/korea-blockchain-week-kbw) on September 24, 2025. The event, described as Korea's first [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) concert, was co-hosted by BDACS, [Galaxy Digital](https://iq.wiki/wiki/galaxy-digital), and [Animoca Brands](https://iq.wiki/wiki/animoca). The panel, which also featured [Yat Siu](https://iq.wiki/wiki/yat-siu) of [Animoca Brands](https://iq.wiki/wiki/animoca) and Jason Urban of [Galaxy Digital](https://iq.wiki/wiki/galaxy-digital), was set to discuss financial innovations enabled by the tokenization of [real-world assets](https://iq.wiki/wiki/real-world-assets-rwas) (RWAs), such as the \"Empress Caterina\" Stradivarius violin. [\\[6\\]](#cite-id-vPfmg105vJ) [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-Zd7rjverxr)","summary":"Terry Kim is a co-founder of BDACS, a South Korean digital asset custodian for institutional clients. With a background in law and engineering, he focuses on bridging traditional finance with digital assets, including real-world asset (RWA) tokenization.","images":[{"id":"QmRsY67q5e5mzzyYriB53UUhAJpVmrCzZF2q4is2VxdFiB","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"categories":[{"id":"people","title":"people"}],"tags":[{"id":"PeopleInDeFi"},{"id":"Founders"},{"id":"Speakers"}],"media":[{"id":"QmQPrkUKxNa7b6NtiMXq3yhdtFhxptfn2rWfgd34D3GWgu","name":"1706518918512.jpg","caption":"","thumbnail":"QmQPrkUKxNa7b6NtiMXq3yhdtFhxptfn2rWfgd34D3GWgu","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"QmRoM1uEayQpMSG3cuG9rEt3MYNZ2eT2DvQa2M5tExfa9s","name":"1729481273601.jpeg","caption":"","thumbnail":"QmRoM1uEayQpMSG3cuG9rEt3MYNZ2eT2DvQa2M5tExfa9s","source":"IPFS_IMG"}],"metadata":[{"id":"references","value":"[{\"id\":\"Zd7rjverxr\",\"url\":\"https://conference.playfablo.com/en/conference/1/speaker?speakerId=76\",\"description\":\"Terry Kim's speaker profile for KBW 2025\",\"timestamp\":1758305275096},{\"id\":\"1nQ7emMxgO\",\"url\":\"https://polymesh.network/blog/polymesh-and-bdacs-enter-into-a-landmark-mou\",\"description\":\"BDACS and Polymesh partnership announcement\",\"timestamp\":1758305275096},{\"id\":\"HP3drDh6Jx\",\"url\":\"https://ko.rootdata.com/member/Terry%20Kim?k=MTc5Njc%3D\",\"description\":\"Profile of Terry Kim on RootData\",\"timestamp\":1758305275096},{\"id\":\"v13cQOXqBQ\",\"url\":\"https://www.startup-city-winterthur.ch/companies/bdacs\",\"description\":\"BDACS company profile and founder information\",\"timestamp\":1758305275096},{\"id\":\"ApThoIsBAG\",\"url\":\"https://www.avax.network/about/blog/south-korean-digital-asset-custodian-bdacs-to-support-avalanche\",\"description\":\"BDACS company founding and mission details\",\"timestamp\":1758305275096},{\"id\":\"vPfmg105vJ\",\"url\":\"https://www.animocabrands.com/bdacs-to-host-korea-first-blockchain-concert-featuring-empress-caterina-stradivarius\",\"description\":\"Details of the blockchain concert and RWA panel\",\"timestamp\":1758305275096},{\"id\":\"event-co-founded-bdacs-link\",\"description\":\"Event link\",\"url\":\"https://www.startup-city-winterthur.ch/companies/bdacs\",\"timestamp\":1758305275421},{\"id\":\"event-bdacs-partners-with-polymesh-link\",\"description\":\"Event link\",\"url\":\"https://polymesh.network/blog/polymesh-and-bdacs-enter-into-a-landmark-mou\",\"timestamp\":1758305275421},{\"id\":\"event-achieved-isms-certification-link\",\"description\":\"Event link\",\"url\":\"https://www.avax.network/about/blog/south-korean-digital-asset-custodian-bdacs-to-support-avalanche\",\"timestamp\":1758305275421},{\"id\":\"event-bdacs-partners-with-avalanche-link\",\"description\":\"Event link\",\"url\":\"https://www.avax.network/about/blog/south-korean-digital-asset-custodian-bdacs-to-support-avalanche\",\"timestamp\":1758305275421},{\"id\":\"event-speaker-at-korea-blockchain-week-link\",\"description\":\"Event link\",\"url\":\"https://conference.playfablo.com/en/conference/1/speaker?speakerId=76\",\"timestamp\":1758305275421},{\"id\":\"ezz6hPU0Qp\",\"description\":\"LinkedIn: Terry Kim\",\"timestamp\":1758305627732,\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-kim-a775a3107/\"}]"},{"id":"linkedin_profile","value":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-kim-a775a3107/"},{"id":"commit-message","value":"\"feat(wiki): Create article for Terry Kim, co-founder of BDACS\""}],"events":[{"id":"5104266e-55a8-468b-b340-973c8c654503","date":"2022-01","title":"Co-founded BDACS","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Co-founded BDACS Inc., a digital asset custodian for institutional clients, in Busan, South Korea, alongside Hongyul (Harry) Ryoo.","link":"https://www.startup-city-winterthur.ch/companies/bdacs","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"c2b20438-bd47-47d8-953d-e5dfaa692256","date":"2023-05","title":"BDACS Partners with Polymesh","type":"DEFAULT","description":"As Co-CEO, oversaw a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Polymesh to launch a security token project focused on K-culture, compliant with Korean regulations.","link":"https://polymesh.network/blog/polymesh-and-bdacs-enter-into-a-landmark-mou","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"868a89e1-1c79-427a-af98-78c0207619b8","date":"2023-11","title":"Achieved ISMS Certification","type":"DEFAULT","description":"BDACS achieved its Information Security Management System (ISMS) provisional certification, a key regulatory step toward a full Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license in South Korea.","link":"https://www.avax.network/about/blog/south-korean-digital-asset-custodian-bdacs-to-support-avalanche","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"f79218dc-5e02-4a6d-a8b3-5ee2c69b5986","date":"2024-01","title":"BDACS Partners with Avalanche","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Announced a partnership with Avalanche to offer institutional custody for Avalanche-native assets, supported by a seed funding investment from Avalanche's Blizzard Fund.","link":"https://www.avax.network/about/blog/south-korean-digital-asset-custodian-bdacs-to-support-avalanche","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"4b4dc5a0-fe09-451d-b66f-bfc048e60627","date":"2025-09","title":"Speaker at Korea Blockchain Week","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Scheduled as a keynote speaker at Korea Blockchain Week 2025, presenting on 'Core Values and Prime Custody in Korea’s Institutional Moment'.","link":"https://conference.playfablo.com/en/conference/1/speaker?speakerId=76","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"language":"en","version":1,"linkedWikis":{"blockchains":[],"founders":[],"speakers":[]}}