Coinone signs strategic equity investment agreement with Com2uS Holdings, Korea Investment & Securities, and OKX Ventures
- Core Insight: Korean exchange Coinone has secured strategic investments of $53 million each from Korea Investment & Securities and OKX Ventures. The three parties will focus on STO, stablecoins, and compliant development, solidifying Coinone's leading position in South Korea.
- Key Details:
- KIS and OKX Ventures each invested 80 billion KRW (approximately $53 million) through the acquisition of existing shares and subscription of new shares, each holding 19.6% of Coinone, becoming the joint third-largest shareholders.
- KIS will leverage its financial institution background to explore cooperation with Coinone in Security Token Offerings (STO), stablecoins, and the institutional derivatives market, bridging regulated finance with virtual assets.
- OKX Ventures will provide Coinone with global market insights, operational experience, and security risk management practices, helping to enhance its competitiveness targeting institutional and corporate investors.
- Coinone CEO Cha Myung-hoon holds 27.8% of shares, maintaining his position as the largest shareholder; Com2uS Holdings and its affiliates hold 25.0%, making them the second-largest shareholder.
- The parties will share expertise in compliance areas such as Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and suspicious transaction detection, jointly enhancing Coinone's market credibility and transaction security.
South Korean virtual asset exchange Coinone announced on May 29 that it has officially signed a strategic equity investment agreement with Com2uS Holdings and its affiliate Korea Investment & Securities ("KIS"), as well as OKX Ventures, the investment arm of global fintech and cryptocurrency company OKX.
Under the agreement, KIS and OKX Ventures will each invest 800 billion Korean won (approximately $53 million). Upon completion of relevant regulatory approvals, each will hold a 19.6% stake in Coinone, becoming joint third-largest shareholders, trailing only Coinone CEO Cha Myung-hun (27.8% stake) and Com2uS Holdings and its affiliates (25.0% stake).
The investment will be executed through a combination of acquiring secondary market shares from existing shareholders, Mr. Cha Myung-hun and Com2uS Holdings, and subscribing to newly issued shares. Following the completion of the investment, Mr. Cha Myung-hun is expected to retain his position as Coinone's largest shareholder, with his management control remaining unaffected.
Com2uS Holdings stated that it will further deepen collaboration with partners possessing both the high credibility of licensed financial institutions and world-class infrastructure, aiming to generate synergies and achieve multi-party value growth.
KIS plans to align with the legislative trends in South Korea and work with Coinone to advance security token offering (STO) and stablecoin businesses, jointly exploring new financial models that integrate regulated finance with virtual assets. Meanwhile, both parties will leverage the professional capabilities of financial institutions in asset management and operations, combined with the blockchain infrastructure advantages of the virtual asset exchange, to uncover new synergies in the institutional and derivatives markets. Additionally, they have agreed to enhance Coinone's market credibility and transaction security by sharing expertise in compliance areas such as anti-money laundering (AML) and suspicious transaction detection.
Kim Sung-hwan, CEO of Korea Investment & Securities, stated, "Through this strategic equity investment in Coinone, we will actively contribute to building a sound virtual asset ecosystem, while accelerating the pace of cultivating new growth engines in the virtual asset sector."
Simultaneously, through the strategic partnership with OKX Ventures, Coinone expects to gain global market insights, international operational experience, and best practices in the digital asset industry. The parties will also engage in in-depth discussions on core topics such as user protection, operational resilience, security safeguards, and risk management, helping Coinone continuously enhance its comprehensive competitiveness in the institutional and corporate investor market.
Netero Dai Global Vice President of Marketing at OKX, commented, "South Korea is one of the most mature digital asset markets globally, and its regulatory framework enjoys a high reputation internationally. We firmly believe that the future financial system will be built on compliant, regulated infrastructure. Our joint investment in Coinone with Korea Investment & Securities is a concrete implementation of this philosophy. We look forward to working closely with Coinone and Korea Investment & Securities to build the next generation of compliant digital financial services for Korean investors."
Cha Myung-hun, CEO of Coinone, stated, "We have carefully selected the best partners capable of maximizing synergy with Coinone in each respective field. This investment will strongly propel us to establish a leading position in the emerging track of blockchain-based digital financial infrastructure."
He further noted, "As a licensed operator, we will help the virtual asset industry gain societal trust by building a responsible ownership structure. At the same time, we will strictly adhere to all relevant procedures and maintain close communication with financial regulators to ensure the smooth processing of the major shareholder change report."
Additionally, Coinone, Com2uS Holdings, Korea Investment & Securities, and OKX plan to jointly hold a press conference in June to comprehensively explain the background, objectives, and expected impact of this strategic equity investment. Specific arrangements will be announced separately.
About Coinone
Coinone is a registered virtual asset service provider in South Korea and one of the country's leading professional virtual asset exchanges. Driven by the vision of "Bringing Blockchain to the World," Coinone is committed to becoming a global pioneer and leader in the digital asset and blockchain sectors.
About OKX Ventures and OKX
OKX Ventures is the investment arm of OKX. OKX is a global fintech company dedicated to modernizing money and markets. It is trusted by over 120 million users worldwide to invest, trade, and transfer digital assets through its platform, which offers a range of financial instruments including spot, options, and decentralized markets. As one of the world's largest digital asset platforms, OKX is renowned for its exchange, wallet, and on-chain ecosystem favored by both individual users and large institutions. With regional offices in the US, Europe, UAE, and Singapore, and local offices in Sao Paulo, Hong Kong, Turkey, and Australia, OKX has established one of the most comprehensive networks of licensed and compliant fintech companies globally.
