What TMONET does

TMONET Co., Ltd. (주식회사 티모넷) is a Seoul-based mobile payment solutions provider founded in 2007 as the first venture spun out of Korea Smart Card. The company's core business is NFC-based mobile transportation card services: through partnerships with Korea's three telecom operators (SK Telecom, KT, LG U+) and card issuers (T-money, CashBee), TMONET enables consumers to install transit cards on their phone's USIM chip and top them up via the DaemDaem mobile app, which also supports online payment at approximately 200 partner merchants and offline payment at 20,000+ retail locations across 50+ brands. The platform uses SE USIM and HCE (Host Card Emulation) architectures backed by HSM FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified security, with biometric authentication and patented cloud-based electronic signature (EasySign) capabilities covering banking, securities, and government portal integrations.

TMONET operates a diversified fintech portfolio including the Corporate Transportation Card management system for enterprise expense tracking, T-Coin transportation gift cards, Transportation Pay point-conversion services (integrated with Naver Pay and L.POINT), the TMO Wallet for Web 3.0 digital asset management, and an Integrated Pre-payment Solution platform licensed internationally. A separate IoT-based carsharing platform (GS Grade 1 certified) has been deployed in Korea and abroad. Revenue is generated through transaction fees on payment volume, recurring subscriptions for corporate and authentication services, licensing of the prepaid and carsharing technology stacks, and ticketing at the company's cultural venues. Customer segments span individual consumers, Korean enterprises, international transportation authorities (OASA in Athens, SNAPPER in Wellington), and a 33.34%-owned Cambodian joint venture (PayOn).

Since 2017, TMONET has run a parallel culture-technology business based on an exclusive Korean licensing arrangement with French company CultureSpace, operating the Bunker de Lumières immersive media art exhibition in Jeju (since November 2018, over 1 million visitors within two years) and the Theater of Light in Seoul (since May 2022). In December 2025, TMONET extended this model internationally through a collaboration with Toyota Group to launch THE MOVEUM YOKOHAMA in Japan, diversifying revenue into ticket sales, merchandise, and venue partnerships while leveraging the same projection-and-sound technology stack developed in-house.

Name

TMONET

Legal name

주식회사 티모넷

Website

https://t-monet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TMONET is a Korean mobile payment solutions company providing NFC-based transportation card services, cloud electronic authentication, and immersive media art exhibitions for consumers, enterprises, and transportation authorities across Korea, Japan, Greece, New Zealand, and Cambodia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Payment Software and Fintech Platforms

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Transportation (4889)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Transit & Mobility Fare Cards (Stored Value) (FSAMANAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Carrier Billing & Telco Mobile Money (FSAMAEAD)

Keywords

• Mobile payment services
• NFC transportation cards
• Cloud authentication
• Digital asset management
• Integrated payment solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Mapo

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transportation Card Top-up and Payment Services: Transaction fees and commissions from mobile transportation card charging services (DaemDaem app), online payment processing at merchant locations, and T-coin (transportation gift card) issuance and redemption fees.
2. Corporate Transportation Card Management: Subscription and service fees from企业提供 corporate transportation card management systems including free device rental, T-coin issuance, and integrated expense tracking for enterprise clients.
3. EasySign Cloud Authentication: Cloud-based electronic signature service with free individual tier and paid corporate tier, generating subscription revenue from enterprise users requiring certified authentication.
4. Culture Tech Business - Immersive Media Art: Revenue from immersive media art exhibitions (Bunker de Lumières, Theater of Light) including ticket sales, merchandise, and corporate partnerships. Exhibition ticket revenue with ancillary food, beverage, and merchandise sales.
5. International Prepaid Solutions: Total solution licensing and implementation services for overseas markets including card issuance systems, payment terminals, and mobile payment platforms for transportation and retail in Southeast Asia and New Zealand.
6. Carsharing Platform Services: Platform licensing and system integration fees for IoT-based carsharing solutions including customer systems, admin operations, and terminal device solutions for shared mobility providers.
7. Transportation Pay Point Services: Commission fees from converting affiliated points and credit card points into transportation pay points for transit card charging and offline purchases at partner retail locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TMONET provides mobile payment infrastructure centered on transportation cards, including NFC-based mobile transportation card services (T-money/CashBee on smartphones), the DaemDaem consumer app for balance inquiry and top-up, corporate transportation card expense management for businesses, and EasySign cloud-based electronic signature/authentication. The company also licenses integrated prepaid payment platforms and carsharing technology solutions to international transportation authorities and mobility operators.

Product overview

TMONET operates as a mobile payment solution provider with a diversified portfolio spanning fintech, integrated payment infrastructure, carsharing technology, and cultural technology. The core fintech offering centers on mobile transportation card services (Mobile Transportation Card), supported by complementary apps and modules including DaemDaem for transportation card management, Transportation Pay for point integration, T-Coin for gift cards, Corporate Transportation Cards for B2B expense management, EasySign for cloud-based electronic authentication, and TMO Wallet for Web 3.0 digital asset management. TMONET also provides an Integrated Pre-payment Solution platform and CarSharing Platform as technology solutions, while its cultural business includes Bunker de Lumières, Theater of Light, and THE MOVEUM YOKOHAMA immersive media art exhibitions. The company was established in 2007 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, with international presence through carsharing solutions deployed in New Zealand, Greece, and Cambodia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 빛의 벙커: French immersive media art exhibition center operating in Jeju and Seoul, featuring works of master artists through projection mapping and immersive experiences.
• 빛의 시어터
• EasySign
• T-Coin
• TMO Wallet
• 댐댐 (DaemDaem)

Products and services

• Mobile Transportation Card (모바일 교통카드) Transportation card installed on USIM chip in mobile phones, allowing users to charge and use T-money or CashBee cards for payments at online and offline merchants nationwide. Supports both prepaid and postpaid payment options.
• DaemDaem App (댐댐) Mobile app for transportation card balance inquiry, online top-up, and NFC-based online payment at partner merchants. First in Korea to offer iPhone transportation card top-up service, with peer-to-peer charging request functionality.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million mobile T-money subscribers by 2009
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration21 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Toyota GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Collaboration with Toyota Group to create THE MOVEUM YOKOHAMA immersive art museum opening December 2025. TMONET contributes cultural technology and exhibition content while Toyota Group provides venue, sponsorship, and local support in Yokohama, Japan. Expands immersive media art network in Japan with world-class exhibitions combining technology and emotion.
• Aerac (에이락)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2021Strategic partnership with blockchain service company Aerac for cloud system establishment and business collaboration. First in Korea to offer cryptocurrency rewards with transportation card charging services through DaemDaem app.
• Walkerhill Hotel & ResortcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2021Partnership with Walkerhill Hotel to establish Theater of Light immersive media art venue at Walkerhill Hotel B1F in Seoul. Venue opened May 2022 with first exhibition 'Theater of Light: Klimt' and operates through March 2026.
• TwoBitNarae Soft (두빛나래소프트)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2020Blockchain technology partnership for joint development of blockchain hybrid wallet service combining TMONET's cloud authentication expertise with TwoBitNaraeSoft's blockchain capabilities.
• CultureSpace (France)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2017Exclusive partnership with French company CultureSpace for 'Exhibition' immersive media art project. TMONET secured exclusive rights for Korean market deployment of Bunker de Lumières exhibitions featuring major European art collections including Klimt, Van Gogh, Monet, and Cézanne works.
• PayOn (Cambodia)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017TMONET holds 33.34% equity stake in PayOn Cambodia joint venture. PayOn provides comprehensive prepaid solution including e-commerce payments, NFC mobile payments for transport, bus payment solutions, and in-store payment services throughout Cambodia.
• OASA Company (Greece)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2016Partnership with Athens transportation card business operator to deploy mobile payment system for city bus, electronic trolley bus, tram, and suburban railroad in Athens, Greece (population 4+ million). TMONET provides NFC Android app enabling transit and credit card payment functions.
• SK Telecom, KT, LG U+coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2011Telecom operators providing USIM chip infrastructure and NFC capability for mobile T-money services. Partnership enables T-money installation on NFC phones and USIM-based mobile payment processing.
• SNAPPER (New Zealand)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2008Partnership with Wellington Transportation Card Company to construct public transportation mobile payment service in Wellington, New Zealand. TMONET provides complete mobile payment solution including NFC app, charging, payments, and reference functions for city buses and travel passes.
• Korea Smart CardcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2007TMONET established as first venture firm within Korea Smart Card ecosystem to develop mobile T-money payment services. Ongoing partnership for transportation card issuance and mobile integration.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vix Technology: Provider of automated fare collection and mobile transit payment solutions to public transport operators. Comparable to TMONET's international mobile NFC transit deployments for OASA Athens and similar public-sector clients.
• CashBee (Korea Smart Card / KB Card): Competing Korean transit stored-value card. TMONET supports both T-money and CashBee in its DaemDaem app and corporate card solutions, placing it directly alongside CashBee in transit mobile payment acceptance and top-up.
• Korea Smart Card (T-money): Issuer and operator of the T-money transit card in Korea. TMONET originated as a venture inside Korea Smart Card and continues to build its mobile T-money stack on top of this core card program, making it the most direct ecosystem counterpart.
• Masabi: UK-based provider of mobile ticketing and fare payment platforms for transit agencies (Justride). Comparable to TMONET as a transit-focused mobile payment technology vendor selling into public transportation authorities globally.

Regional players

• Octopus Cards: Hong Kong's dominant transit stored-value card with mobile wallet extension. Operates in a different geography but is directly comparable to TMONET's transit card + mobile top-up + merchant payment model and could be a relevant benchmark for international licensing.
• SimplyGo (Land Transport Authority, Singapore): Singapore's account-based, open-loop transit payment system. Operates in a different geography from TMONET but illustrates the strategic direction of transit fare collection that could eventually substitute for stored-value models underpinning TMONET's core business.

Broad incumbents

• Kakao Pay: Leading Korean mobile payment and digital wallet super-app. Competes with TMONET's DaemDaem and Transportation Pay on consumer top-up, point conversion, and online merchant payment, with a far larger user base and balance sheet.
• Cubic Transportation Systems: Large incumbent supplier of transit fare collection systems (including NextWave, OpenPayment). Like TMONET, it sells mobile and contactless fare payment technology to transit operators worldwide, but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Samsung Pay: Dominant Korean mobile wallet that already supports T-money in-app. Competes with TMONET's DaemDaem for transit top-up and NFC payment mindshare, but operates at much greater scale and as part of Samsung's device ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Naver Pay: Korean mobile wallet from Naver. Already integrated with TMONET's Transportation Pay for point conversion, and represents both a partner and a competitor for consumer-side transit adjacent payment flows in Korea.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TMONET