Number of virtual asset users surpasses 10 million… Domestic virtual asset market capitalization decreases

The number of domestic virtual asset (cryptocurrency) users has surpassed 10 million. On the other hand, the scale of virtual assets traded within domestic exchanges has decreased. This is interpreted as being influenced by an outflow of users to overseas exchanges.

On the 30th (Korean time), the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Financial Supervisory Service announced the results of the first half of 2025 fact-finding survey, which investigated 25 virtual asset service providers including 17 domestic exchanges and 8 custodial/wallet operators.

Domestic virtual asset market capitalization was 95.1 trillion won as of the end of June, down 14.4 trillion won (14%) from the end of last year (107.7 trillion won).

The trading volume of domestic virtual asset exchanges also decreased to 1,160 trillion won, down 14% from the end of last year (1,345 trillion won). The average daily trading amount also fell 12% to 6.4 trillion won from 7.4 trillion won at the end of last year.

Meanwhile, the global virtual asset market's average daily trading amount recorded 100.6 billion, a threefold increase compared to the end of last year.

In this situation, the operating profit and loss of virtual asset businesses also showed a declining trend. Operating profit and loss of virtual asset businesses was 618.5 billion won in the first half, a 17% decrease from 744.6 billion won in the second half of last year.

Korean won deposits stood at 6.2 trillion won, a 43% decrease from the end of last year.

Contrary to the decline in trading volume, the number of users increased. The number of tradable individual and corporate users was counted at 10.77 million, an increase of 1.07 million from the end of last year (9.7 million). As in the second half of last year, those in their 30s had the largest share (28%), followed by people in their 40s (27%), those aged 20 and under (19%), people in their 50s (19%), and those 60 and over (7%).

Financial authorities analyzed that "market growth slowed and volatility increased year-on-year due to global tariff disputes, heightened geopolitical tensions, and other factors." They added, "While institutional investment from abroad expanded and pushed up the price of Bitcoin, individual investor sentiment weakened, and prices of other virtual assets showed a mixed pattern overall."