Coinone has signed a strategic equity investment agreement with Com2uS Holdings, Korea Investment & Securities, and OKX Ventures

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 (hereinafter referred to as "KIS"), as well as OKX Ventures, the investment arm of global fintech and cryptocurrency company OKX.

According to the agreement, KIS and OKX Ventures will each invest 80 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, following Coinone CEO Cha Myung-hun (27.8% stake) and Com2uS Holdings and its affiliates (25.0% stake).

This 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. After the investment, Mr. Cha Myung-hun is expected to retain his position as the largest shareholder of Coinone, with his management control remaining unaffected.

Com2uS Holdings stated that it will further deepen collaboration with partners who possess 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 South Korea's legislative development trends 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 reached a consensus 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."

Concurrently, through its 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, stated: "South Korea is one of the most mature digital asset markets in the world, and its regulatory framework enjoys high international reputation. We firmly believe that the future financial system will be built on compliant, regulated infrastructure. This joint investment in Coinone with Korea Investment & Securities is a concrete embodiment of this philosophy. We look forward to working closely with Coinone and Korea Investment & Securities to build next-generation compliant digital financial services for Korean investors."

Cha Myung-hun, CEO of Coinone, said: "We have carefully selected the best partners in various sub-sectors that can achieve maximum synergy with Coinone. This investment will strongly propel us to establish a leading position in the emerging赛道 (track) of blockchain-based digital financial infrastructure."

He further stated: "As a licensed operator, we will help the virtual asset industry gain social trust by building a responsible equity structure. At the same time, we will strictly adhere to all relevant procedures and maintain close communication with financial regulatory authorities to ensure the smooth processing of the report on major shareholder changes."

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 strives to become a global pioneer and leader in digital assets and blockchain.

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. Over 120 million users worldwide trust OKX for investing, trading, and transferring digital assets across a range of financial instruments including spot, options, and decentralized markets. As one of the largest digital asset platforms globally, 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 São Paulo, Hong Kong, Turkey, and Australia, OKX has built one of the most comprehensive global networks of compliant, licensed fintech companies.