South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Coinone has announced that Korea Investment & Securities (KIS) and OKX Ventures have agreed to a combined investment of 160 billion won (approximately $106 million) to acquire a 19.6% equity stake in the platform. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, will see both entities inject $53 million each into the exchange.
The strategic deal structure combines secondary share purchases from current equity holders with newly issued corporate shares. Upon regulatory clearance, KIS and OKX Ventures will become the joint third-largest shareholders in Coinone. They will sit behind the exchange’s founder and CEO, Myung-Hun Cha, who remains the primary shareholder with full operational management control, and the existing backer Com2uS Holdings.
Strategic Entry and Regulatory Milestones
The capital injection grants OKX Ventures direct access to one of Asia’s most strictly regulated and high-volume digital asset markets, where localized compliance records and operational licenses represent critical barriers to entry. For its part, KIS plans to leverage Coinone’s underlying infrastructure to launch dedicated security token offerings (STOs) and stablecoin business units, aligning with South Korea’s evolving regulatory framework for tokenized finance.
The domestic crypto landscape is undergoing a significant institutional overhaul. Following the implementation of the landmark Virtual Asset User Protection Act, domestic exchanges have been mandated to enforce heightened anti-money laundering (AML) controls, strict asset isolation, and real-time transaction monitoring. Regulators are currently drafting a secondary phase of legislation designed to establish comprehensive legal boundaries for fiat-pegged stablecoins and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization.
Consolidation Across South Korea’s Exchange Sector
This joint acquisition reflects a broader consolidation trend as traditional financial holding companies and legacy conglomerates aggressively secure equity in licensed local trading venues. Capital allocations across the sector have accelerated rapidly over the first half of the year:
| Date | Acquirer | Target Platform | Stake Size | Transaction Value |
| February 2026 | Mirae Asset Consulting | Korbit | 92.06% | 133.48B KRW (~$93M) |
| May 2026 | Hana Financial Group | Dunamu (Upbit) | 6.55% | 1.003T KRW (~$668M) |
| May 2026 | KIS & OKX Ventures | Coinone | 19.60% | 160.00B KRW (~$106M) |
This influx of institutional capital underscores a major pivot by regulatory bodies in Seoul, which have gradually loosened restrictions on corporate and institutional participation in digital assets. By integrating with established domestic financial networks, platforms like Coinone are positioning their transactional infrastructure to handle the next generation of compliant, high-throughput financial products.
