POSCO International has completed a live tokenization pilot for trade accounts receivable on an Avalanche-based Layer 1 network, signaling deepening institutional experimentation with real-world assets. The South Korean trading giant carried out the transaction through its U.S. subsidiary, POSCO International America, alongside trade finance platform Olea and asset-backed finance technology firm Intain.
Unlike earlier technical sandbox tests, the pilot used real business records and actual capital. Intain deployed artificial intelligence tools to audit and reconcile purchase orders, invoices, credit notes, and bills of lading before registering the receivables on its Avalanche-anchored Layer 1 subnet. Olea then purchased the tokenized credit rights with real capital. According to the companies, shared on-chain visibility can reduce reconciliation times and operational risk in cross-border trade finance.
The initiative follows POSCO International’s July 2026 pilot with LG CNS on the Injective network, where tokenized receivables tied to live trade activity were issued, transferred, and settled. POSCO International reports about $22.2 billion in annual global turnover and operates more than 80 overseas branches across steel, energy, and battery materials. Kim Yong-il, Vice President of Global Development at Avalanche, said the financial automation model could gain traction among high-volume import and export firms.
POSCO, Olea, and Intain said the next phase will explore digital treasury management tools and stablecoin-based cross-border settlements. The Asian Development Bank has estimated the global trade finance gap at roughly $2.5 trillion, highlighting the potential market for blockchain-based trade finance.
