POSCO International, the trading arm of South Korea-based POSCO Holdings, has completed a pilot project that tokenized real-world trade receivables on the Avalanche blockchain, marking a further step by the industrial group toward blockchain-based trade finance.

The pilot, completed on Aug. 25, brought together POSCO International America — the company's U.S. subsidiary — Intain, and trade-finance platform Olea. Unlike experiments built solely on simulated transactions, the initiative involved actual trade receivables and real capital: Olea purchased the tokenized receivables, providing a practical test of blockchain-based financing for commercial transactions.

Olea is backed by SC Ventures, the venture investment and innovation division of Standard Chartered. Its participation added an institutional financing component to the pilot and demonstrated how tokenized trade assets can connect corporate receivables with external sources of capital.

AI Verification Combined With Blockchain Records

The process began with AI-based verification of trade documentation. Relevant records, including invoices and shipping documents, were analyzed to determine whether the information was consistent and suitable for registration.

Once verification was complete, the receivables were recorded on Intain's Layer-1 network, which is built using Avalanche infrastructure. Intain introduced that network, INTX, in early 2024 as a blockchain purpose-built for structured finance. Recording the assets on-chain established a permanent digital record of ownership and transaction activity, potentially improving transparency among participants in the financing process.

The pilot combined AI-powered trade-document verification with blockchain-based registration of real receivables, creating a digital workflow designed to improve transparency and efficiency in trade-finance transactions. The approach also illustrates a potential division of responsibilities between artificial intelligence and distributed ledger technology: AI can process and validate large volumes of commercial documentation, while blockchain infrastructure can provide a shared record for counterparties involved in financing.

Second Blockchain Receivables Pilot in One Month

The Avalanche initiative follows another blockchain-based receivables pilot completed by POSCO International in late July. On July 27, the company worked with LG CNS on a proof-of-concept that tokenized trade receivables through the Injective blockchain. That project likewise relied on real transaction information from POSCO International's overseas subsidiaries rather than synthetic data created solely for testing.

Taken together, the two pilots indicate that the company is evaluating multiple blockchain infrastructures for potential applications in trade finance. They also arrive after an earlier generation of bank-backed trade-finance blockchain consortia — including we.trade, Marco Polo and Contour — shut down between 2022 and 2023 after struggling to move beyond pilots into commercially sustainable networks, a history that places added weight on initiatives involving real assets and real capital.

POSCO International generated about $22.2 billion in revenue and operates more than 80 branches globally. Parent company POSCO Holdings is one of the world's largest steel producers. POSCO International's business activities extend across steel, energy and battery materials, giving it exposure to international supply chains where trade financing can be particularly important.

Tokenization Could Address Trade-Finance Constraints

The broader trade-finance market carries a significant funding shortfall. The Asian Development Bank has estimated the global trade-finance gap at around $2.5 trillion, representing transactions that may not proceed because businesses face difficulties securing suitable financing.

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Tokenization could potentially help address some of these limitations by turning traditionally paper-based or fragmented financial claims into digitally recorded assets. A blockchain-based system may also make ownership and transaction histories easier for participating institutions to verify.

Institutional engagement with tokenized assets has already expanded in adjacent parts of finance: BlackRock and Franklin Templeton are among the asset managers operating tokenized money-market funds, and banks have trialed tokenized deposits and bonds in supervised settings.

By using live trade receivables rather than hypothetical assets, POSCO International is testing whether tokenization can move beyond experimentation and support practical institutional trade-finance activity.

Stablecoins Could Expand Cross-Border Applications

The companies involved are also considering broader applications of the technology. Future initiatives could include the use of stablecoins for cross-border payments and the development of digital treasury-management tools. Such a step would align with a payments landscape in which PayPal has issued a dollar stablecoin, Visa has settled transactions in USDC, and the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets framework has applied to stablecoin issuers since mid-2024.

Such applications could complement tokenized receivables by creating digital mechanisms for transferring value across international markets. For companies operating extensive global supply chains, these tools could help streamline treasury operations and cross-border settlement, extending the pilot from tokenized financing into broader blockchain-based corporate financial operations.

The latest initiative therefore represents more than a standalone blockchain experiment. Together with its recent work on Injective, the Avalanche pilot suggests that POSCO International is assessing how tokenization, artificial intelligence and digital settlement technologies could be integrated into conventional corporate finance and international trade.