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Dunamu is a South Korean fintech company that provides a wide range of services with a focus on blockchain and fintech, including Upbit, the operator of the country's largest crypto exchange. The South Korean internet giant Kakao holds a 10.88% stake in Dunamu, down from the roughly 20% stake it had owned together via its affiliated funds.
Naver Plans IPO for Its Financial Subsidiary; Share Swap Transaction with Cryptocurrency Exchange Dunamu Progresses
According to Tech in Asia, Naver plans to pursue an IPO for its subsidiary Naver Financial within five years after completing a share swap transaction with Dunamu—the operator of South Korea’s Upbit cryptocurrency exchange. Per the shareholders’ agreement signed by both parties, an IPO committee must be established within one year following the completion of the transaction; if the IPO is not completed within five years, the deadline may be extended up to seven years. The specific timing and structure of the IPO have yet to be determined and will depend on market conditions and regulatory developments. Notably, South Korea’s proposed Digital Asset Basic Act could impact the transaction structure, and regulators are also discussing a rule that would cap the maximum shareholding ratio for major shareholders of cryptocurrency exchanges at 20%. Meanwhile, Dunamu’s operating profit for 2025 declined 26.7% year-on-year to KRW 869.3 billion (approximately USD 591 million), primarily due to a slowdown in cryptocurrency trading volume.
Circle CEO: Has Expanded Collaboration with Dunamu and Bithumb to Advance Digital Asset and Stablecoin Adoption in Korea
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that Circle has expanded its collaboration with Dunamu—the operator of Upbit—to support the compliant adoption of digital assets, and broadened its partnership with Bithumb to strengthen stablecoin infrastructure and raise market awareness of stablecoins. Allaire noted that South Korea is rapidly advancing regulation for stablecoins and digital assets, and that local cryptocurrency adoption rates are high. During his time in Seoul, he also met with representatives from KakaoGroup, Coinone, Hashed, Shinhan Bank, KB Financial Group, and Woori Bank.
Circle Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Dunamu, Parent Company of Upbit
According to News1, Circle, the issuer of the stablecoin USDC, has signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Dunamu, the operator of Upbit—the largest virtual asset exchange in South Korea. The two parties will jointly advance digital asset education initiatives—including stablecoins—to enhance market participants’ access to information and bolster the credibility of South Korea’s digital asset ecosystem. Oh Kyung-seok, Dunamu’s representative, stated, “Collaborating with Circle—experienced in compliant operations—is highly significant.” Jeremy Allaire, Circle’s representative, emphasized, “South Korea is an exceptionally important market for digital asset innovation.”
Upbit operator Dunamu wins lawsuit against Korea Financial Intelligence Unit; three-month suspension order revoked
According to DigitalAsset, a South Korean court ruled in favor of Dunamu—the operator of Upbit—in an administrative lawsuit it filed against the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), overturning the FIU’s administrative penalty ordering a three-month partial suspension of Dunamu’s operations. The court found that, in the absence of specific implementation guidelines from regulatory authorities, Dunamu had taken certain measures—including requesting written commitments from customers and conducting internal monitoring. Although the court acknowledged that whether these measures were sufficient to prevent transactions with unregistered operators remained debatable, it held that Dunamu had fulfilled its reasonable obligations given the lack of clear regulatory guidance. Previously, the FIU had imposed the three-month partial business suspension on Upbit for inadequacies in its controls over transactions with unregistered operators.
Circle CEO: Has Expanded Collaboration with Dunamu and Bithumb to Advance Digital Asset and Stablecoin Adoption in Korea
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that Circle has expanded its collaboration with Dunamu—the operator of Upbit—to support the compliant adoption of digital assets, and broadened its partnership with Bithumb to strengthen stablecoin infrastructure and raise market awareness of stablecoins. Allaire noted that South Korea is rapidly advancing regulation for stablecoins and digital assets, and that local cryptocurrency adoption rates are high. During his time in Seoul, he also met with representatives from KakaoGroup, Coinone, Hashed, Shinhan Bank, KB Financial Group, and Woori Bank.
South Korea’s delayed cryptocurrency legislation hampers NAVER’s merger process; DS Securities lowers target price to KRW 300,000
According to The Asia Business Daily, DS Investment & Securities issued a research report lowering NAVER’s target price from its previous level to 300,000 KRW, while maintaining a “Buy” rating. Analyst Choi Seung-ho noted that the downward revision is primarily driven by two factors: first, NAVER’s operating profit margin for this year is projected to decline from 18.3% to 17.6%, due to rising advertising and e-commerce marketing expenses as well as depreciation costs; second, delayed legislative progress on cryptocurrency-related regulations is directly affecting the proposed merger between NAVER Financial and Dunamu, raising the possibility of further postponement beyond the originally scheduled completion in September. Previously, DS Securities had assigned a valuation of 15 trillion KRW to NAVER’s cryptocurrency business within its Sum-of-the-Parts (SOTP) valuation; this portion has now been removed from the updated report. Choi Seung-ho added that the e-commerce business remains NAVER’s core growth engine going forward, with annual e-commerce sales expected to reach approximately 2.7 trillion KRW.
Related news
Naver Plans IPO for Its Financial Subsidiary; Share Swap Transaction with Cryptocurrency Exchange Dunamu Progresses
According to Tech in Asia, Naver plans to pursue an IPO for its subsidiary Naver Financial within five years after completing a share swap transaction with Dunamu—the operator of South Korea’s Upbit cryptocurrency exchange. Per the shareholders’ agreement signed by both parties, an IPO committee must be established within one year following the completion of the transaction; if the IPO is not completed within five years, the deadline may be extended up to seven years. The specific timing and structure of the IPO have yet to be determined and will depend on market conditions and regulatory developments. Notably, South Korea’s proposed Digital Asset Basic Act could impact the transaction structure, and regulators are also discussing a rule that would cap the maximum shareholding ratio for major shareholders of cryptocurrency exchanges at 20%. Meanwhile, Dunamu’s operating profit for 2025 declined 26.7% year-on-year to KRW 869.3 billion (approximately USD 591 million), primarily due to a slowdown in cryptocurrency trading volume.
Circle CEO: Has Expanded Collaboration with Dunamu and Bithumb to Advance Digital Asset and Stablecoin Adoption in Korea
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that Circle has expanded its collaboration with Dunamu—the operator of Upbit—to support the compliant adoption of digital assets, and broadened its partnership with Bithumb to strengthen stablecoin infrastructure and raise market awareness of stablecoins. Allaire noted that South Korea is rapidly advancing regulation for stablecoins and digital assets, and that local cryptocurrency adoption rates are high. During his time in Seoul, he also met with representatives from KakaoGroup, Coinone, Hashed, Shinhan Bank, KB Financial Group, and Woori Bank.
South Korea’s delayed cryptocurrency legislation hampers NAVER’s merger process; DS Securities lowers target price to KRW 300,000
According to The Asia Business Daily, DS Investment & Securities issued a research report lowering NAVER’s target price from its previous level to 300,000 KRW, while maintaining a “Buy” rating. Analyst Choi Seung-ho noted that the downward revision is primarily driven by two factors: first, NAVER’s operating profit margin for this year is projected to decline from 18.3% to 17.6%, due to rising advertising and e-commerce marketing expenses as well as depreciation costs; second, delayed legislative progress on cryptocurrency-related regulations is directly affecting the proposed merger between NAVER Financial and Dunamu, raising the possibility of further postponement beyond the originally scheduled completion in September. Previously, DS Securities had assigned a valuation of 15 trillion KRW to NAVER’s cryptocurrency business within its Sum-of-the-Parts (SOTP) valuation; this portion has now been removed from the updated report. Choi Seung-ho added that the e-commerce business remains NAVER’s core growth engine going forward, with annual e-commerce sales expected to reach approximately 2.7 trillion KRW.
Circle Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Dunamu, Parent Company of Upbit
According to News1, Circle, the issuer of the stablecoin USDC, has signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Dunamu, the operator of Upbit—the largest virtual asset exchange in South Korea. The two parties will jointly advance digital asset education initiatives—including stablecoins—to enhance market participants’ access to information and bolster the credibility of South Korea’s digital asset ecosystem. Oh Kyung-seok, Dunamu’s representative, stated, “Collaborating with Circle—experienced in compliant operations—is highly significant.” Jeremy Allaire, Circle’s representative, emphasized, “South Korea is an exceptionally important market for digital asset innovation.”
Upbit operator Dunamu wins lawsuit against Korea Financial Intelligence Unit; three-month suspension order revoked
According to DigitalAsset, a South Korean court ruled in favor of Dunamu—the operator of Upbit—in an administrative lawsuit it filed against the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), overturning the FIU’s administrative penalty ordering a three-month partial suspension of Dunamu’s operations. The court found that, in the absence of specific implementation guidelines from regulatory authorities, Dunamu had taken certain measures—including requesting written commitments from customers and conducting internal monitoring. Although the court acknowledged that whether these measures were sufficient to prevent transactions with unregistered operators remained debatable, it held that Dunamu had fulfilled its reasonable obligations given the lack of clear regulatory guidance. Previously, the FIU had imposed the three-month partial business suspension on Upbit for inadequacies in its controls over transactions with unregistered operators.