KONA I Signs MOU with Data Alliance… "Pursuing New Business by Combining Platform and Data"

KONA I Executive Vice President Donghoon Byun (third from right) and Data Alliance CEO Kwangbeom Lee (third from left) pose for a photo after signing the business agreement. / Photo: KONA I

Global fintech company KONA I is teaming up with data specialist Data Alliance to develop a new business model that combines platform and data.

KONA I announced on the 4th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Data Alliance to pursue medium- to long-term business collaboration and jointly develop new services, building on the two companies' digital technology and platform capabilities.

The agreement was pursued to move beyond single-project-based cooperation toward a platform-expansion business structure, drawing on the demonstration experience and collaborative results the two companies accumulated while jointly advancing smart-city projects in cities such as Pyeongtaek and Gimhae.

As demand for digital transformation and data utilization grows, the two companies plan to collaborate on structuring digital services and data-utilization models validated at the city and regional level into platform form, and on developing these into business models expandable across a range of sectors.

Under the agreement, the two companies plan to pursue, in phases: joint planning of platform-based new services and business models; service enhancement through the linkage of data, infrastructure, and technology; strengthening platform competitiveness using AI, data, and cloud technologies; and joint marketing and the building of business references.

Drawing on the technical and operational experience it has accumulated through local-currency gift certificates, public payments, and digital platform operations, KONA I will lead platform architecture design and operation, while Data Alliance will take on the role of enhancing services and raising technical completeness on the basis of its data-analysis and technology capabilities.

"This agreement is an opportunity to fully launch business collaboration centered on platform and data, building on our collaborative achievements to date," said KONA I Executive Vice President Donghoon Byun. "We will commercialize models validated through demonstration and grow them into a scalable platform business."

Reporter Jinwoo Jung, Money Today (econphoo@mt.co.kr)Source: https://www.mt.co.kr/living/2026/02/04/2026020410323920662