Korean Investors' Cryptocurrency Holdings Halve, Investors Turn to Stocks

Odaily Planet Daily News: The value of cryptocurrencies held by South Korean investors has more than halved over the past year, dropping from 121.8 trillion won at the end of January 2025 to 60.6 trillion won (approximately $41.4 billion) at the end of February 2026.

The daily trading volume on the five major exchanges — Upbit, Bithumb, Korbit, Coinone, and Gopax — fell from $11.6 billion in December 2024 to $3 billion in February 2026. Korean won deposits on exchanges decreased from 10.7 trillion won to 7.8 trillion won.

Stablecoin holdings dropped from 597 million units in December 2024 to 41 million units in February 2026.

South Korean regulators plan to implement revised anti-money laundering rules in August, stipulating that crypto transactions involving overseas exchanges or private wallets exceeding 10 million won will be automatically flagged as suspicious. Additionally, a 22% tax on crypto gains will take effect on January 1, 2027.