LG Taps Arbitrum to Ad-venture On-Chain, Targets $740B Spend 🪙

LG Electronics has partnered with Ethereum layer-2 network Arbitrum to build a dedicated blockchain for digital advertising, with a commercial rollout under evaluation for later this year. The project, disclosed to Fortune on June 11, was developed through LG's in-house blockchain research lab and piloted with an unnamed Japanese ad agency.

The new network is designed to give advertisers and publishers a shared database of ad inventory and to record how audiences interact with each placement, replacing the manual reconciliation that typically settles many digital ad deals. Samuel Byungsun Park, head of LG Electronics' blockchain research department, said the company is evaluating whether the approach delivers meaningful value to advertisers, publishers, and audiences.

The move targets a market Dentsu forecasts at $740 billion in digital ad spend in 2026, roughly 73% of a global media market projected to top $1 trillion for the first time. Arbitrum cofounder Steven Goldfeder said the model can automate ad sales without manual intervention, adding: "I am very opinionated when someone asks me, 'Should I launch a blockchain?' For many people, the answer is yes, but probably for most people, the answer is no." LG's commitment to a full launch will depend on what the pilot proved about cost and speed, with a decision expected later this year.

LG's Web3 work extends beyond the new chain. The company previously unveiled its digital asset wallet Wallypto and filed an NFT trading TV patent, both tied to its consumer device business. Arbitrum ($ARB) traded near $0.083 on Thursday, up 5% over 24 hours but down 80% over the past year, according to BeInCrypto data.

LG joins a cohort of firms building their own ledgers rather than renting block space. Stripe incubated payments chain Tempo, which raised $500 million, Robinhood is working with Arbitrum on a tokenized-equity chain, and Circle is developing the Arc network. Fortune reported the LG–Arbitrum partnership earlier this week, citing the South Korean tech giant's announcement of the new layer-2 network.