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Senior officials from South Korea's finance ministry plan to hold consultations with major cryptocurrency exchanges on Tuesday, with participants including representatives from Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, DigitalX, Gopax, and the Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA). Yoo Young-jun, Director General of the Digital Finance Policy Bureau at South Korea's Financial Services Commission, will attend the meeting.South Korea has postponed the crypto tax three times, most recently pushing the implementation date to 2027. Exchanges say that applicable rules for different transaction types have not yet been determined and that infrastructure preparation time is limited, with the industry broadly supporting a further delay of the tax.South Korean Democratic Party lawmaker Park Min-gyu recently proposed a bill that would set the tax start date as January 1 of the second year after South Korea begins sharing data under the OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF). If the first data exchange takes place in 2027, the tax would begin in 2029. (Cointelegraph)
据 Daum 报道，在全球加密货币交易所积极拓展永续合约、期权及传统股票等衍生品业务之际，韩国本土交易所因监管限制仍仅能提供现货交易。CoinGecko 数据显示，2026 年第二季度，Upbit、Bithumb、Coinone、DigitalX（原 Korbit）和 GOPAX 等韩国五大韩元交易所的现货交易总额约为 1467 亿美元，较一季度的 2188 亿美元减少 33.0%。
according to Bithumb's official announcement, Gate has been officially added to the VASP (Virtual Asset Service Provider) support list of CODE, the Travel Rule (anti-money laundering fund transfer rule) compliance solution under South Korea's Bithumb.Previously, Gate had also been included by Upbit in its supported overseas VASP scope. With this inclusion in Bithumb CODE's support scope, users can now conduct digital asset transfers that comply with Travel Rule requirements between Gate and other CODE-connected VASPs.
According to Yonhap, the share swap transaction between Upbit's parent company Dunamu and a subsidiary of South Korean internet giant Naver may face uncertainties. Documents disclosed by the Legislative Affairs Research Division of the National Assembly indicate that the transaction may simultaneously be subject to the minimum shareholding requirement for subsidiaries stipulated in the Fair Trade Act, as well as restrictions on the maximum shareholding by major shareholders of virtual asset exchanges.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Dunamu, operator of South Korean crypto exchange Upbit, has announced a strategic partnership with global payment giant Visa. Both parties will jointly explore next-generation financial payment services leveraging stablecoins and AI. Cooperation areas include stablecoin payments and cross-border remittance services, business models for the USD stablecoin OUSD based on Open Standards, and "Agentic Commerce," which integrates AI with stablecoins to allow AI to handle the entire product search, purchase, and payment process on behalf of users. The specific service architecture has yet to be finalized, and implementation will proceed in phases in compliance with relevant regulations and regulatory requirements.
Odaily News: Dunamu, the operator of Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, has responded to rumors of a US listing, stating that the company has indeed been in contact with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). However, it has not yet confirmed plans for a US listing, nor has it converted its financial reporting standards to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP).Dunamu stated that it is currently working with Naver Financial to complete a share swap by December 31. The two companies are valued at 15 trillion KRW and 5 trillion KRW respectively, with a swap ratio of 1 share of Dunamu for approximately 2.54 shares of Naver Financial. Upon completion of the transaction, both parties plan to establish an IPO committee within one year and proceed with listing efforts.Market observers believe Nasdaq could be a potential listing venue, mainly because Naver is already listed on the Korean exchange. If the two companies are subsequently listed on a secondary exchange in Korea as subsidiaries, they may face regulatory restrictions on "parent-subsidiary dual listings." If Dunamu ultimately pursues a US listing, it may do so via American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). The Korean legal entity and Upbit business would remain intact, and services such as KRW deposits and withdrawals for users are not expected to be directly impacted. (Etoday)
According to Cryptopolitan, South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has launched a three-month fraud refund system reconstruction project with a budget of approximately 119 million Korean won. This upgrade aims to align with the revised "Telecommunications Fraud Damage Compensation Act" amended on March 31 this year—the bill will officially take effect on October 1, formally incorporating virtual assets into the scope of "damaged property" and "refundable property." The new system will support calculating compensation amounts based on token type and quantity, using the Korean won value at the time funds were frozen as a reference benchmark, while also possessing the ability to disentangle mixed fraud funds across multiple accounts. Major exchanges such as Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and GOPAX will be required to assume anti-fraud and victim relief obligations equivalent to those of banks at that time, including verifying transaction purposes, monitoring suspicious funds, and freezing suspected accounts.
TechFlow News, August 1, according to South Korean media NexBlock, South Korea's virtual asset market trading volume continues to shrink, and the competitive landscape among the five major KRW exchanges is changing. During the market downturn, funds are further concentrating on platforms with leading liquidity, while small and medium-sized exchanges are seeking breakthroughs through cooperation with securities companies, institutional market positioning, and business restructuring. The focus of future competition will no longer be just trading volume, but stablecoin liquidity, traditional financial cooperation, institutional market expansion, and regulatory compliance capabilities. Data shows that in the first half of this year, South Korea's five major KRW exchanges (Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, Gopax) accumulated trading volume of about $366.58 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 54.6%. From July 1 to 27, the five major exchanges accumulated trading volume of about 17.34 trillion KRW, a decrease of 16.9% compared to the same period last month. Among them, Upbit's trading volume was about 11.69 trillion KRW; although down 10%, its market share rose from 62.3% to 67.4%. Bithumb's trading volume dropped to 4.71 trillion KRW, with its share decreasing from 30.7% to 27.1%, expanding the gap between the two to 40.3 percentage points.
Mirae Asset Consulting 已取得韩国最早加密货币交易所 Korbit 的多数控制权，持股比例升至 97.15%，交易总额约 1414 亿韩元，按汇率折合约 9500 万至 1.02 亿美元。 韩国公平交易委员会已于 2026 年 7 月 9 日批准该交易，认为收购不太可能限制竞争，并提及 Korbit 2025 年在韩国加密交易市场约 0.5%的份额。Mirae Asset 表示，Korbit 运营实体、用户存款和核心交易服务暂时保持不变，客户资产将按现有保护规则隔离保管。 Korbit 将更名为 Digital X。Mirae Asset 创始人兼全球战略官 Park Hyeon-joo 表示，Digital X 是 Mirae Asset 3.0 战略的核心，计划在同一平台连接现实世界资产代币化、证券型代币发行、稳定币、传统证券和数字资产。 Mirae Asset 表示，Digital X 并非以交易量超越 Upbit 或 Bithumb 为目标，而是定位为基础设施平台，将其证券和资产管理背景与 Korbit 的数字资产运营结合。Digital X 目前将基于 Korbit 现有牌照和用户基础运营。
Odaily Odaily: Mirae Asset has completed the acquisition of a 97.15% stake in Korbit, one of South Korea's earliest cryptocurrency exchanges, and rebranded it as Digital X. The company plans to develop Digital X into a smart investment platform, integrating real-world assets, security tokens, stablecoins, traditional assets, and digital assets within the same ecosystem. Mirae Asset stated that it will not directly compete with dominant exchanges like Upbit and Bithumb. Instead, it will focus on investor education, research, strict compliance standards, and institutional-grade infrastructure.
According to Upbit's official announcement, Upbit has designated Zilliqa (ZIL) as an asset subject to trading caution citing "security incidents such as hacks with unknown causes or unaddressed vulnerabilities" (pursuant to Article 17, Paragraph 1, Item 5 of the Enforcement Decree of the Virtual Asset User Protection Act), with the designated period from 19:00 KST on July 22, 2026, to the third week of August (August 17–21). Deposit and withdrawal services for ZIL have been suspended since 19:00 KST on July 20. Upon reopening, only withdrawal services will be restored, while deposit services will be announced separately depending on the progress of subsequent reviews. Upbit will conduct a detailed review of ZIL during the designated period and decide depending on the situation whether to extend the caution period, lift the caution, or terminate trading support.
Ethereum Layer 2 infrastructure Optimism has officially announced a tripartite strategic collaboration, joining forces with Upbit operator Dunamu, fintech platform Toss, and DB Securities to comprehensively expand into the Korean market. On the cooperation front with Dunamu, both parties will upgrade the GIWA public chain based on the OP Stack and promote its global development. A three-month technical verification will be conducted with Toss to build a compliant Korean won digital financial infrastructure. Optimism and DB Securities are focusing on the STO and RWA sectors, planning to transform Jeju Island's smart agriculture, livestock assets, and Korean intellectual property into tokenized securities and real-world asset products. This will facilitate the phased on-chain commercialization of local physical assets, with the entire cooperation framework tailored to align with Korea's financial regulatory framework.
According to South Korean media Digital Asset, South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit has officially joined the U.S. Digital Chamber of Commerce. Founded in 2014, the Digital Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest digital asset industry lobbying organization, dedicated to promoting a clear regulatory environment and industry policy development. The Digital Chamber of Commerce stated that Upbit is the largest digital asset exchange in South Korea, with operations covering multiple Asian markets such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand, and looks forward to deepening cooperation between the two parties within the global member community.
According to BLOCKMEDIA, South Korean police are investigating a case of political interference in crypto market competition. The former aide of independent lawmaker Kim Byung-ki was alleged to have pressured the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) in February last year, forcing Upbit to terminate fee reduction campaigns for $USDC and $USDT to alleviate the financial pressure suffered by competitor Bithumb due to launching zero-fee promotions. The suspicion lies in the fact that the aide secured an informal advisory position at Bithumb several months after the interference occurred, while the lawmaker's son was also hired as an intern by the exchange. Bithumb denied knowledge of any political interference, insisting that the fee adjustment was an independent business decision.
The Singapore Police Force's Anti-Scam Centre and Cybercrime Department, in a six-week joint anti-scam operation from April 16 to May 31, 2026, collaborated with Coinbase, Coinhako, Gemini, Independent Reserve, OKX, StraitsX, and Upbit. Using blockchain analysis tools from Chainalysis and TRM Labs, they identified potential scam victims and conducted over 145 targeted interventions via phone and in-person visits, preventing potential losses exceeding $4.2 million. Coinbase Singapore stated in a post on X on July 10 that it worked with the Singapore police to prevent over 145 individuals from losing a combined total of more than $4.2 million due to scams. The Singapore Police Force stated that it will continue to work with cryptocurrency exchanges and other private sector entities to combat cybercrime. (Bitcoin.com News).
Naver Financial and Dunamu have postponed the completion date of their comprehensive share swap transaction to December 31st, marking the second delay for this deal. The transaction aims to integrate Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, into Naver's financial division. The original settlement date was September 30th. Dunamu stated that incomplete digital asset legislation and pending antitrust reviews remain key variables, and any progress in either approval process could further extend the timeline or even lead to changes in the transaction.
According to The Block, South Korea's Upbit parent company Dunamu and Naver Financial announced that their stock swap transaction has been delayed again, with the latest deadline extended to December 31, 2026. This is the second delay for the transaction; previously, in March this year, it was postponed from June 30 to September 30. The two companies stated that the "Digital Asset Basic Act" currently being drafted in South Korea may affect the transaction's progress or even the final outcome. The bill contains controversial clauses proposing to cap the shareholding ratio of major shareholders in domestic crypto exchanges at 20%, which would directly impact Upbit's existing equity structure if implemented. Previously, the transaction plan involved Naver Financial issuing approximately 87.56 million new shares, with a total value of about 15.13 trillion Korean won (approximately 9.9 billion USD), to promote synergistic development between both parties in the fields of digital assets and the integration of AI and blockchain.
Odaily News: South Korean police recently raided cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb to investigate allegations that independent lawmaker Kim Byung-gi used his influence to secure a job for his son. According to reports, Kim’s son joined Bithumb in January 2025 and worked there for about six months. Police are investigating whether external pressure or preferential treatment was involved in the hiring process. Additionally, the case has also implicated Dunamu, the operator of South Korea’s largest crypto exchange Upbit, with the investigation scope expanding from simple hiring issues to potential abuse of power and conflicts of interest.Investigators noted that during his tenure on the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee, Kim Byung-gi raised multiple inquiries against Dunamu during committee meetings, sparking external speculation that he may have been seeking benefits for the company where his son was employed.It is understood that police have previously questioned executives from several cryptocurrency firms and have conducted search and seizure operations at Bithumb’s headquarters and Bithumb Financial Tower. Kim Byung-gi himself is under investigation on 13 charges, including allegations related to job placements, bribery for nominations, and requests concerning university transfers. He has stated that he believes he will ultimately be able to prove his innocence.Notably, Bithumb has been facing sustained regulatory pressure recently. In March this year, South Korea’s financial regulator fined Bithumb approximately $24.5 million for violations related to KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) regulations, and issued a six-month partial business suspension order. However, the Seoul court temporarily suspended the penalty in late April, and the relevant legal proceedings are still ongoing. (Cointelegraph)
The Korea Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA) has introduced new compliance standards requiring local cryptocurrency exchanges to invalidate API keys suspected of being improperly shared by users, thereby strengthening oversight of automated trading. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) stated that automated trading currently accounts for approximately 30% of trading volume in Korea’s cryptocurrency market. Under the new rules, exchanges including Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and Gopax will enhance API monitoring, issue warnings upon detecting suspicious sharing behavior, require users to re-authenticate, and implement an IP allowlist mechanism to restrict API access to authorized addresses only.
According to Digital Asset, domestic virtual asset trading volume in South Korea has fallen to approximately 8% of KOSPI trading volume—less than one-tenth. Media statistics show that, as of May 26, the ratio of trading volume on Korean won-based exchanges (Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and Gopax) to KOSPI trading volume stood at just 8%. The report notes that South Korea’s virtual asset market has been weakening continuously since the second half of 2025; it declined sharply following a large-scale futures liquidation event in October 2025, while the KOSPI strengthened amid a semiconductor upcycle and supportive government policies. Additionally, according to CryptoQuant data, the Bitcoin Korea Premium indicator has been negative for most of the time since March, reflecting weak buying demand in the Korean market.