Crypto Slump Leaves Younger Koreans on Sidelines as Investors in Their 70s Scoop Up More

Investors 50 and Younger All Decline

Holdings and Investment Rise Among Those 70 and Older

Crypto investment has cooled this year, but older South Koreans are moving in the opposite direction. While the number of investors in their 50s and younger declined across the board, investor counts among those 60 and older were flat or higher. The figures suggest crypto investing is spreading beyond its traditional younger base to older age groups.

Data submitted by South Korea’s five largest crypto exchanges — Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Streami — to Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Do-geol showed the number of domestic crypto investors rose to 10.99 million last year from 5.87 million in 2022. The total topped 10 million for the first time in August 2025. Over the same period, crypto holdings surged more than sixfold to 111.7 trillion won ($80.9 billion) from 17.6 trillion won ($12.7 billion).

The increase was particularly sharp among older investors. The number of investors aged 70 and older climbed to 116,000 last year from 30,000 in 2022, nearly quadrupling. Their holdings jumped to 2.6 trillion won ($1.88 billion) from 190.2 billion won ($138 million). That made inflows from investors in their 70s and older especially notable as the crypto market expanded.

The broader market has pulled back this year, but investors 60 and older have bucked the trend. As of February 2026, the number of domestic crypto investors stood at 10.22 million, down 7% from August 2025, while total holdings fell 37.5% to 69.9 trillion won ($50.6 billion). By age group, the number of investors declined 13.4% among those in their 20s and younger, 7.8% among those in their 30s, 6.1% among those in their 40s and 3.8% among those in their 50s. By contrast, it rose 0.5% among those in their 60s and 5.8% among those 70 and older.

The data points to a broader crypto investor base among older age groups. As mobile financial transactions become more common and exchanges become easier to access, crypto investing — once viewed largely as a younger person’s market — is spreading to people in their 60s and older. Still, older investors may be relatively more vulnerable because of weaker access to information and lower awareness of investment risks, prompting calls for safeguards as the market grows.

Ahn said the high volatility of digital assets makes it crucial to build an institutional framework that supports investor protection and market stability. With the market’s size and influence growing, discussions on safeguards including a basic digital-asset law should not be delayed any longer, he added.

Ha Ji-eun, Hankyung.com reporter hazzys@hankyung.com