XRP has overtaken Bitcoin and Ethereum as South Korea’s retail trading favorite after traders exploited a spot-only exchange loophole, sending local volume sharply higher. The shift underscores divergent regional preferences and could alter price discovery and regulatory focus.
Google Play will require foreign crypto exchanges to obtain FIU VASP registration in South Korea by Jan. 28 or face removal from the store.
South Korea approved legislation on Jan. 16, 2026 to integrate tokenized securities into its capital markets, enabling blockchain-based trading and settlement. The move is intended to modernize infrastructure and could attract fintech firms and new issuers to local markets.
South Korean crypto exchange Korbit has agreed to pay almost $2 million and received an official warning after authorities found extensive lapses in its anti-money laundering and customer verification controls. The enforcement action highlights growing regulatory scrutiny of local crypto platforms.
South Korea’s Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA) has firmly rejected the Financial Services Commission’s proposal to limit how much crypto users can hold on local exchanges. The move escalates tensions between regulators aiming to curb risk and an industry warning of unintended consequences.
A South Korean regulation due to take effect will bar roughly 99% of domestic buyers from participating in Bitcoin markets, a move that could sharply reduce onshore liquidity and widen spreads for BTC trading.
The Financial Services Commission has lifted a 2017 ban and now permits listed companies to allocate up to 5% of their equity into the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market cap.
South Korea’s Supreme Court held that bitcoin stored on cryptocurrency exchanges can be seized in criminal investigations, treating virtual assets as property under criminal procedure law. The decision clarifies how exchanges must respond to law enforcement requests and could speed recovery of criminal proceeds.
Seoul plans to direct 25% of its $499.2 billion (₩728 trillion) state budget into digital assets by 2030, roughly $124.8 billion (≈₩182 trillion). The move marks a major public bet on blockchain, tokenization and crypto infrastructure.
South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled that bitcoin held on exchanges can be seized under criminal law, dismissing the appeal. The decision creates a binding precedent that raises custody risk for exchange users and increases compliance pressure on platforms.