Money Guard Service Turns Mobile IOUs into Legal Contracts, Expands Fintech Footprint into Southeast Asia
South Korea’s fintech scene has a new disruptor, and it’s not chasing the next neobank or payments app. Instead, Money Guard Service is going after the messy, informal world of handshake deals, unpaid personal loans, and undocumented credit transactions—and bringing legal clarity through digital contracts.
Founded by CEO Moon Gyu Moon, the startup offers a blockchain-powered platform that turns everyday financial exchanges—think IOUs between friends or credit for local businesses—into legally binding, traceable digital contracts. With ambitions well beyond the domestic market, the company is now targeting emerging economies like Vietnam and Indonesia, where informal financial activity is rampant but legal protections are weak.
“We see vast potential in digitalizing personal and small business transactions that traditional financial institutions fail to capture,” says Moon. “Our goal is to become a financial infrastructure—not just a service provider.”
From Verbal Promises to Digital Protections
At its core, Money Guard Service provides a mobile-first, end-to-end digital contract system. Users—whether individuals or SMBs—can:
- Create mobile IOUs or contracts in just a few taps
- Secure them with blockchain for tamper-proof storage
- Track execution digitally through the app
- Automatically convert contract defaults into enforceable bonds
- Link to debt collection services, streamlining recourse
This solves a major pain point in both personal finance and microenterprise: the lack of legal enforceability in informal credit arrangements, which often leads to disputes or uncollected debts. With Money Guard’s system, these transactions gain legal teeth, making them not just informal promises but recognized financial obligations.
Alt Credit Scoring and Inclusion
Perhaps most transformative is the platform’s potential for financial inclusion. For users with limited or no formal credit history—especially in cash-based economies—the platform generates an alternative data trail. Over time, this could help build credit profiles that improve access to lending, even from traditional financial institutions.
It’s a timely move in fintech: lenders and neobanks globally are exploring non-traditional credit scoring models, and Money Guard Service is quietly creating a new dataset that reflects real-world economic behavior.
Global Market Push: Vietnam and Indonesia First
Money Guard isn’t stopping at Korea. The company is actively expanding into Southeast Asia, with Vietnam and Indonesia identified as launch markets. Both are rich in informal financial activity, yet have limited infrastructure to document or enforce transactions.
To make the leap, the startup is forging partnerships with local fintech platforms, certification authorities, and financial institutions. It’s also preparing a Proof of Concept (PoC) in Vietnam, supported by government-backed innovation programs.
That includes recognition and funding from:
- CNT Tech and MYSC (seed investors)
- TIPS program (2024)
- KOTRA’s BM support program (2025)
- Woori Bank’s DinnoLab, KB Starters, FINNECT Demo Day
- Google’s ChangGoo program
This runway gives the company a strategic springboard into broader Asia-Pacific markets.
Pangyo Roots, Global Vision
Based in Pangyo Techno Valley, Korea’s innovation cluster often called “Asia’s Silicon Valley,” Money Guard is embedded in a fertile ecosystem of R&D, venture capital, and tech talent. The Gyeonggi Startup Campus provides proximity to fintech regulators, legal advisors, and enterprise clients.
“Pangyo offers strategic advantages in terms of IT infrastructure, talent acquisition, and startup support,” Moon notes.
