South Korea crypto exchange profits fall 78% in H1 amid trading slump
South Korean crypto exchanges posted a steep slowdown in the first half of 2026, with operating profits down 78% as trading activity, market values, and customer deposits all fell. Government data from KoFIU shows average daily trading volume at domestic exchanges dropped 44% from the prior half-year, market capitalization fell 33%, and won deposits declined 35%. Exchange sales were down 41%, even though the number of accounts able to trade rose slightly. The survey covered 26 registered virtual asset service providers. The weakness coincides with retail investors shifting toward South Korea’s stock market. Crypto holdings by South Korean investors fell 50.2% to 60.6 trillion won over about a year, while the KOSPI more than doubled over the same period.
