Bloomingbit Newsroom

Domestic virtual asset (cryptocurrency) exchange Coinone announced on the 22nd that it will run a 'Santa Rally' customer event offering benefits worth 200 million won for Christmas. Coinone's 'Santa Rally Event' is a trading event that provides benefits to participants based on the daily trading volume ranking of designated coins. It will run for five days from 10:00 AM on Monday, December 22 to Friday, December 26. During the period, participants complete participation by registering the event code and trading the daily designated event coin for 5,000 won or more. All participants will receive a 100% benefit. Virtual assets ranging from 2 million won to 200,000 won will be paid according to the trading volume ranking for each coin, and virtual assets worth a total of 6 million won will be evenly distributed to all participants ranked 40th and below. In particular, from Wednesday, December 24 to Thursday, December 25, Coinone will run a 'Santa Booster' that provides an additional 50 million won in benefits by summing the two-day cumulative trading amount. Depending on the two-day trading range, virtual assets worth from 15 million won to 4 million won will be paid. Meanwhile, Coinone is also operating a 'Rudolph Gift Package' that provides benefits worth a total of 70,000 won to new customers until Wednesday the 31st. For new Coinone sign-ups during the event period, it provides a 'fee waiver' benefit along with '20,000 Coinone points', and depending on mission achievement such as 'Coin Collect', 'XPASS transaction verification', participants can receive up to an additional 50,000 won worth of virtual assets. Coinone's marketing manager said, "We prepared an event to celebrate the Christmas season that anyone who is a Coinone customer can participate in and enjoy the benefits. We hope everyone from new users to whale investors have a happy and bountiful year-end with Coinone."

<Next week's major economic schedule> ▶︎22 (Mon): △People's Bank of China December Loan Prime Rate (10:00 KST) △U.K. Q3 GDP (16:00 KST) △U.S. Chicago Fed National Activity Index for September (22:30 KST) ▶︎23 (Tue): △U.S. October Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (00:00 KST) △U.S. 3rd-quarter GDP advance estimate (22:30 KST) ▶︎24 (Wed): △U.S. December CB Consumer Confidence Index (00:00 KST) △Initial jobless claims (22:30 KST) ▶︎25 (Thu): △Christmas △U.S. Crude Oil Inventories (00:30 KST) ▶︎26 (Fri): <Next week's major cryptocurrency schedule> ▶︎22 (Mon): △Sahara AI year-end AMA ▶︎23 (Tue): △Soon (SOON) token unlock (21.88 million tokens) △Undead Games token unlock (2.15 million tokens) ▶︎24 (Wed): △SosoValue token unlock (4.16 million tokens) △Newton Protocol token unlock (6.25 million tokens) ▶︎25 (Thu): △Uniswap Unification proposal vote △Plasma token unlock (88.89 million tokens)

Dunamu, the operator of the digital asset exchange Upbit, said on the 18th that it strengthened its technological competitiveness this year by achieving global research results in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and advancing its services simultaneously. Dunamu's machine learning (ML) team presented a research paper at the main conference of COLING 2025, the International Conference on Computational Linguistics, held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, last January. The presented paper was evaluated as having improved response inconsistency issues occurring in LLM-based text-to-SQL conversion through multi-prompting and multiple-choice methods, and it ranked first on the global benchmark BIRD-SQL leaderboard. Also, Dunamu's ML team presented a paper at SIGIR 2025, the leading international conference in the field of information retrieval, held in Padua, Italy, last July. The paper proposed a method of generating virtual users using LLMs to train news recommendation models without real user data. Dunamu's 'LAUS (LLM As User Simulator)' framework showed superior performance compared to zero-shot methods and also reduced response latency. Dunamu expanded the application of AI technology to actual services. The Upbit Developer Center introduced an AI-based 'Upbit Assistant', improving developer convenience by providing API examples, document summarization, guide navigation, and more. It enabled major AI tools such as GPT and Claude to use the latest Upbit API documentation, and added the 'Upbit Historical Market Data' service to download past price data, strengthening the data-driven development environment. Dunamu's investment information platform Securities Plus also enhanced its AI features. The newly established 'Newsroom' is a representative example. Dunamu's Newsroom uses an in-house developed machine learning algorithm to prioritize and provide users with information necessary for investment decisions. Specifically, the 'Breaking' section quickly delivers key points with a headline and a three-line summary, and the 'Major News' section selects and provides the 'Top 5 core news in 24 hours' that had the greatest impact during the day. Lee Dong-jun, head of Dunamu's ML team, said, "Based on the AI research achievements and service application experience accumulated this year, we will continue to strengthen technological competitiveness next year and provide users with more reliable services."

Domestic cold wallet brand Dcent announced on the 18th that it has launched its year-end promotion 'Year-End Gala'. The event, the last of the year, offers Dcent cold wallets at the lowest prices of the year while combining an on-chain reward program involving a total of 11 Web3 projects. It is noteworthy because it is rare for Dcent cold wallets to jointly operate a large-scale reward program with multiple projects, connecting demand from users and projects at the same time. Dcent said it designed a structure through the Year-End Gala in which the needs of wallet buyers and Web3 projects naturally mesh. Wallet buyers have a demand beyond secure storage to explore projects to invest in in the future, and projects want to connect with user groups that are likely to hold actual assets. The program is structured to provide wallet users with opportunities to directly experience projects and to create a channel for projects to enter based on real users. During the event, wallet buyers can automatically participate in an airdrop raffle for 1,000 people. New and existing users can participate in on-chain missions of projects released weekly during the five-week event period to receive additional rewards. This is designed to make wallet purchases serve as starting points for Web3 activities beyond simple storage functions. In the first week, real-world asset (RWA)-based projects Plume and BeatSwap are participating as partners. The two projects cover different areas but share the commonality of extending real-world assets into the Web3 environment. Plume has focused on tokenizing traditional financial assets such as real estate, bonds, and commodities so they can be used on the blockchain, and recently it has been gaining attention as an RWA infrastructure for institutional investors. Plume is characterized by being designed to handle regulatory compliance functions at the protocol level. Use cases are increasing in asset managers' RWA experiments and tokenization proof-of-concept (PoC) processes, and it is also operating a user-deposit-based reward model through 'Plume Nest'. The Nest has been reorganized into a structure that provides rewards based on stablecoin deposits and has introduced a program that awards points according to participation to strengthen incentives for ecosystem participation. BeatSwap is a project that connects the global intellectual property (IP) market, estimated at about $2 trillion, on-chain. It has expanded its ecosystem around a 'Licensing to Earn' model that provides rewards based on data on the use of creative works' rights. It currently has more than 200,000 on-chain licensing transactions per day and more than 450,000 contributors. BeatSwap also offers deposit-based rewards through a 'Vault to Earn' structure and maintains a relatively transparent reward distribution system by using an on-chain metric (IPL) that measures IP usage. Recently, it released an oracle that establishes global IP metadata as an on-chain standard, and next year it plans to sequentially launch Space RWA launcher and an RWA decentralized exchange (DEX) to build an ecosystem spanning from IP rights issuance to trading. Dcent emphasized that the Year-End Gala is not a simple discount event but a program that strengthens connections between Web3 real-use projects and real users. The company explained that it is an example showing that hardware wallets can function as starting points for Web3 participation and as ecosystem entry infrastructure, beyond simple storage devices. This promotion also aligns with Dcent's recent growth trend. IoTrust, which operates Dcent, exceeded cumulative sales of 10 billion won this year, growing more than double compared to the previous year. More than 70% of total sales occur overseas, and cold wallet sales are also on the rise as personal security demand expands, particularly in North America. Dcent expects the Year-End Gala to serve as an opportunity to broaden user touchpoints amid this trend. The year-end limited Year-End Gala is expected to provide users considering purchasing a wallet with an opportunity to experience discounts and participation in Web3 projects simultaneously.

Korbit, a virtual asset (cryptocurrency) exchange, announced on the 17th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Green Umbrella Child Fund Korea, a child welfare organization, to promote a transparent donation culture using virtual assets and to support future generations. Korbit and Green Umbrella Child Fund Korea will jointly carry out the 'Virtual Asset Donation Campaign to Support Future Generations' through this MOU. In the process, Korbit will support donors to safely and easily donate virtual assets based on its professional technical capabilities and operational know-how. In particular, by utilizing blockchain's distributed ledger technology, it plans to transparently disclose the entire flow from fundraising to execution and post-management of donations, striving to increase trust in the use of donation funds. After signing the MOU, the two parties will finalize specific campaign operation plans and officially launch the virtual asset donation campaign in the first half of 2026. Oh Se-jin, CEO of Korbit, said, "At this point where virtual assets are being incorporated into the mainstream financial sector, it is meaningful that Korbit is presenting a social contribution model using digital assets," and added, "Through cooperation with Green Umbrella Child Fund Korea, we will help establish a new level of donation culture that enhances transparency and efficiency, and contribute to supporting children's healthy growth."

Dunamu, operator of the digital asset exchange Upbit, announced on the 17th that it will hold an event allowing attendees to watch the awards ceremony in Taiwan to commemorate its participation as the title sponsor of the 40th Golden Disc Awards. This year’s ceremony will be held under the official name "The 40th Golden Disc Awards with Upbit" and will take place at the Taipei Dome in Taiwan on January 10 next year. A total of 18 teams of artists are expected to participate in this ceremony. Dunamu has prepared the "Golden Disc Awards Invitation Event," offering Upbit members the opportunity to attend the ceremony in person. The event runs until the 23rd, and any Upbit member can participate. During the event period, entry is completed by achieving a cumulative trading amount of at least 100,000 won and then clicking the "Participate in Event" button. Ten applicants will be selected by lottery to receive a package that includes Golden Disc Awards ceremony tickets, round-trip airfare to Taiwan, and local accommodation for a 2-night, 3-day stay. Detailed information can be found in the Upbit notice. An Upbit official said, "We aim to expand brand experience through collaboration with K-pop, which leads global culture," and added, "We hope more members can directly experience the vivid emotion on-site." Meanwhile, this year’s Golden Disc Awards will be exclusively live-streamed domestically through Naver Chijijik and globally via Prism. Voting for the "Golden Disc Upbit Popularity Award," whose winner is determined 100% by fan votes, will take place from December 22 on the Golden Disc official channel within the Prism app.

Global foreign exchange total solution company SentBe announced on the 17th that it has signed a strategic partnership with digital asset wallet specialist IoTrust and plans to embed SentBe's off-ramp solution into D'CENT, the virtual asset (cryptocurrency) wallet service operated by IoTrust. With this cooperation, SentBe's off-ramp solution will be integrated into the D'CENT wallet, improving access to converting stablecoins to global fiat currencies. Specifically, D'CENT users worldwide will be able to convert stablecoins held in their virtual asset wallets into each country's fiat currency and remit directly to desired overseas accounts without having to move to a separate external exchange or service. The two companies plan to maximize the liquidity of Web3 assets through this partnership and to progressively expand the scope of cooperation centered on off-ramp function integration. They are accelerating development and service preparations aiming for a launch in the first quarter of 2026. Choi Seong-wook, CEO of SentBe, said, "This cooperation exactly aligns with SentBe's off-ramp business strategy to resolve inefficiencies in cross-border payments and settlements. Cooperation with IoTrust will be a leading case that addresses the global cash-out demand Web 3.0 users have most needed within the app," and added, "SentBe will continue to expand its role as a global payment gateway connecting the virtual asset market and the real economy." Baek Sang-su, CEO of IoTrust, said, "This partnership with SentBe is a strategic choice to take D'CENT's practicality to the next level," and added, "By providing options that allow global users to use their digital assets more efficiently, we will further enhance D'CENT's global competitiveness."

Digital asset wallet specialist IoTrust said on the 15th that it recorded its largest-ever results and continues a steep growth trend, powered by the global success of the D'CENT wallet. IoTrust recorded cumulative sales of KRW 10 billion from January to October this year. This is more than double the same period last year, demonstrating solid growth fundamentals despite volatility in the virtual asset (cryptocurrency) market. The core driver of these results is 'establishment in the global market.' Overseas sales accounted for over 70% of total sales, and, centered on North America, it has established itself as the cold wallet brand most trusted by users worldwide. In particular, with the growth of the global web3 market and a surge in demand for personal security, sales of the D'CENT wallet rose evenly across all regions. IoTrust expects this growth trend to accelerate further. As of November, cumulative sales from the hardware-only segment have already exceeded KRW 10 billion, and if the year-end peak season effect is added, total sales for 2025 are expected to reach about three times those of the previous year. An IoTrust official said, "D'CENT already has security and usability proven in the global market," and, "Next year, we will more aggressively expand our global market share using a broader lineup of hardware wallets and strengthened platform competitiveness."

ArtCube 2R2 announced on the 12th that it will hold the year-end curated exhibition 'Spectrum of Emotion' at ArtCube 2R2 in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, from the 26th to February 20 of next year. This exhibition is a rare occasion that brings together four artists—Graplex, Lee Sara, Lee Sang-won, and Ha Tae-im—who have been receiving attention in Korean contemporary art and remain actively engaged. Planned as an exhibition to close out 2025, their works, which attract wide interest from MZ-generation collectors to the global market, were organized as a noteworthy show. The exhibition starts from the premise "Emotions are not defined by a single language." It explores how the amplitude of emotion is visualized through color and form, and the structure and rhythm of the surface; rather than narratively explaining emotions, the four artists metaphorically reveal the subtle flow of emotion through surface density, structural tension, and layering of color. The exhibition multilayered placements of painting, sculptural, and media works across the entire venue—starting with a video work on the 1st-floor media wall and extending across the 1st floor, basement 1, and the 6th floor. Through this, the "spectrum of emotion" provides an experience of mutual resonance within a single space. At the point where the year-end and the beginning of the year meet, visitors follow the tremors and echoes of emotion generated between the works and have time to reflect on their inner selves. Also, the specially produced exhibition merchandise 'table mat' will be unveiled for the first time and will be available for purchase on-site. It proposes a novel experience allowing everyday enjoyment of popular artists' works on the table. Hong Ji-suk, CEO of ArtCube 2R2, said, "This exhibition is significant in that it brings together four artists who are currently receiving great love at home and abroad," adding, "We hope you will view the spectrum of emotion created by the intersection of each artist's unique color and rhythm in one space and enjoy a rich year-end moment." The exhibition is hosted and organized by ArtToken and ArtCube 2R2. Detailed information about the exhibition can be found on ArtCube 2R2's official website and Instagram account. Hankyung.com Newsroom open@hankyung.com

Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's virtual asset (cryptocurrency) exchange Upbit, said on the 12th that it is providing various volatility analysis tools through Upbit Data Lab to check risk levels in a market environment where volatility has recently increased. The volatility indicator is a metric that shows numerically how widely the Upbit Composite Index's recent 30-day returns have moved, converting the standard deviation of daily returns to an annual basis to quantitatively show volatility across the digital asset market. Also, the volatility-return distribution chart visualizes individual assets' performance against risk; assets whose return relative to volatility is higher than average are marked with orange dots, allowing users to compare relative positions to the market average at a glance. At the same time, it also provides the 'Upbit Low Volatility Top 5 Index', which selects assets with low volatility. The Low Volatility index is a strategy index composed by extracting the five digital assets with the lowest monthly volatility among the top 30 market-capitalization items supported for trading in the Upbit KRW market; the list of constituent assets is published at 9:00 a.m. on the 2nd of each month. Investors can use this to check which assets have relatively low volatility at that time and use it as a reference when constructing portfolios that prioritize stability. Analysis of the Low Volatility index showed that a Low Volatility strategy based on low-volatility digital assets outperformed the market average. From November 2017 to this November, the Low Volatility index's annualized return was 70.7%, more than twice the market return of the Upbit Composite Index (33.8%). This indicates that, contrary to the conventional wisdom that 'higher risk yields higher returns', a diversified investment strategy centered on low-volatility assets can be an alternative that expects better long-term risk-adjusted returns. A Dunamu official said, "As volatility in the digital asset market has recently increased, demand for data to quantitatively compare risk levels and asset characteristics is growing," and added, "We will continue to strengthen the data-driven analysis environment to improve users' access to information and their understanding of the market."

Dunamu, the operator of Upbit, announced on the 11th that it will hold a fan participation event to commemorate League of Legends (LoL) player Lee Sang-hyeok 'Faker' achieving three consecutive international tournament victories (three-peat). This event was organized to commemorate T1 captain Faker recording the first three-peat in LoL esports by winning his sixth title at an international tournament last November. Fans can watch Team UPbit FAKER's matches on site and, if they meet certain conditions, will have the opportunity to meet Faker in person. Team UPbit FAKER is the team in the 'Red Bull PC Bang Takeover' in which Faker competes together with fans. Ordinary participants selected through pre-registration and qualifiers will form teams with T1 players to compete in the main match. The main match featuring the roster will be held at Lotte World on December 27. Upbit is participating as an official sponsor of this tournament and will operate the 'Meet & Play with FAKER' event. The event is open to all Upbit members until 5 p.m. on the 18th. Specifically, among applicants who have completed customer verification (KYC), 250 will be provided with main match tickets (2 tickets per person). Then, users who complete three or more transactions during the event period will be entered into a draw to receive 10 tickets for Meet 'FAKER' ('Faker' photo event invitation) and 5 tickets for Play with 'FAKER' (one-on-one Mundo dodgeball participation ticket), respectively. Event participation can be applied for on the dedicated page of the Upbit app, and detailed information is available in the event notice. A Dunamu official said, "Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok)'s three-peat is a historic moment that LoL fans around the world will celebrate together," adding, "We hope for much interest and participation in this event, where people can watch the match in person through Upbit and meet the legendary player up close." Meanwhile, Upbit joined as an official sponsor of the '2025 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK)' last September, expanding its esports partnerships.

Domestic crypto asset (cryptocurrency) custodian BDACS announced on the 11th that it will launch the Korean won stablecoin 'KRW1' on the BNB Chain. The BNB Chain is a blockchain built by Binance. This expansion follows the successful completion of KRW1's proof of concept (PoC). Earlier, BDACS comprehensively checked the stablecoin issuance process during the PoC phase, from fiat-based funding and issuance to on-chain real-time verification. Having secured institutional-grade stability and a compliance foundation, it is interpreted as moving to actively expand KRW1's business scope. BDACS said the reason for choosing the BNB Chain was "because it can provide suitable infrastructure." The BNB Chain has a scalable architecture to support large-scale financial service operations, and because it has a user base and financial service touchpoints, it can greatly enhance KRW1's utility. Starting with this expansion, BDACS plans to gradually expand KRW1's supported networks to multi-chain to increase KRW1 liquidity. Through this, it aims to make value transfers in the global digital asset market easier and to strengthen interoperability among stablecoins. Ryu Hong-yeol, CEO of BDACS, said, "The expansion of KRW1 to the BNB Chain is an important milestone in BDACS's multi-chain stablecoin strategy," adding, "We will continue to expand KRW1 across world-class blockchain ecosystems to maximize global accessibility, liquidity, and real-world usability."

Bithumb announced on the 10th that it has completely revamped the existing 'Market Trends' service and is launching new 'Recommendations' and 'Trends' sections to provide virtual asset investment information in a more intuitive way. This revamp focused on improving accessibility and convenience so that users can quickly check the key data and market flow needed for investment decisions on a single screen. The newly prepared 'Recommendations' section visualizes per-asset trading trends and thematic flows based on various data indicators. It includes personalized content such as 'Popular Searches' showing user interest, 'Real-time Rankings' based on price changes and trading volume, and 'MY Ranking' which analyzes individual investor tendencies. The 'Trends' section, which allows users to check the overall market flow, has also been reorganized. It gathers key information such as major market news, global price differences, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based daily market summaries so users can clearly grasp complex data. This feature can be used by updating the Bithumb mobile web and app to the latest version. A Bithumb representative said, "This revamp is to build an environment where investors can check market information easily and accurately," and added, "We will continue to improve the service to provide reliable information."

Dunamu, which operates the digital asset exchange Upbit, said on the 10th that as of the end of October this year, Upbit's hot wallet custody ratio is 1.67%. The cold wallet custody ratio is 98.33%, significantly exceeding the legal standard. A hot wallet is a wallet connected to the internet used for processing deposits and withdrawals, while a cold wallet is an offline wallet separated from the internet. The Virtual Asset User Protection Act requires that 80% or more of customers' deposited assets be stored in cold wallets. Upbit has consistently maintained a cold wallet ratio of over 98%, well above this standard. The hot wallet has also been stably managed in the 1% range, recording the lowest level among domestic exchanges. In fact, according to data disclosed in June by Rep. Heo Young of the Democratic Party, the cold wallet custody ratios of major domestic exchanges at that time were around 82~90%, while Upbit's was the highest at 98.3%. Even amid increased deposit and withdrawal demand due to recent rises in digital asset prices and expanded support for new trading, Upbit has steadfastly maintained its hot wallet ratio below 2%. As part of company-wide security enhancements, it has completed a reassessment and revamp of its wallet system, and plans to further reduce the hot wallet ratio to the 0% range in the future. Oh Kyung-seok, CEO of Dunamu, said, "We are continuously striving to maintain the hot wallet ratio at the lowest level domestically," adding, "We will make the protection of customer assets the top priority in Upbit's operations and do our best to build a digital asset trading environment that can be used with confidence."

Global Web3 venture capital firm Hashed officially announced the speakers and institutions participating in the ADFW 2025 'Web3 Leaders Roundtable' taking place on the 10th (local time). Hashed is co-hosting the event with ADGM Emerging Tech, the technology innovation organization under the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial centre located in Abu Dhabi. This year’s roundtable is set up as a large-scale platform for policy and technical consultations with Web3 founders, global financial institutions, digital asset firms, and key United Arab Emirates (UAE) regulators participating simultaneously. Joseph Lubin, Ethereum co-founder, will attend to discuss the future direction of global Web3 infrastructure and market structure changes resulting from the spread of artificial intelligence (AI). Traditional financial institutions such as BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), and DBS, as well as major Web3 companies including Tether, Circle, Avalanche developer Ava Labs, Solana Foundation, NEAR, and Story developer Story Protocol, will participate to discuss the intersection of technology and finance from multiple angles. Participation by UAE regulators is also notable. Key local digital asset policy bodies — ADGM, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), an economic free zone under the Dubai Economy, and the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) — will all attend to address policy issues such as stablecoin regulatory frameworks, the incorporation of digital asset infrastructure into the formal financial system, and strategies for expanding the institutional market. The roundtable will be structured around two pillars: next-generation digital infrastructure based on AI and Web3, and the institutional adoption of digital assets. Key technical agendas include changes in payment and settlement structures driven by the spread of generative AI, AI agent-based service models, RWA infrastructure for real-world asset tokenization, and the potential on-chain transition of global payment networks. Policy and regulatory discussions will run in parallel, covering topics such as stablecoin regulatory frameworks, uses of tokenized assets, institutional investors' digital asset operating models, and risk management standards.

Korbit Research Center, under domestic virtual asset exchange Korbit, announced on the 8th that it published its fourth annual report, "2026 Virtual Asset Market Outlook," which forecasts the virtual asset market for the new year, on the 5th. This report was prepared with the full participation of four researchers affiliated with the Research Center and analyzed from multiple angles △key trends in the virtual asset market △potential risks △changes in global liquidity and policy environment △the correlations among on-chain, ETF, and derivatives markets. Kim Min-seung, head of the Korbit Research Center, identified cracks in the four-year cycle theory and the rise of stablecoin infrastructure as major changes. He noted that the halving-centered four-year cycle theory has weakened as liquidity cycles were reorganized in a high-interest-rate environment, and suggested the possibility of additional peaks around the time of liquidity re-supply in 2026. He also projected that as stablecoins are incorporated into the U.S. financial system, stablecoin infrastructure that simultaneously meets regulatory compliance and institutional clients' privacy requirements will emerge as a key growth axis. Center head Choi Yoon-young analyzed that, as asset revaluation occurs based on new economic policies and institutional foundations, the base asset classes for RWA tokenization will expand further. She also forecast that as stablecoins are completed as a payments layer, the on-chain financial ecosystem will expand. Researcher Kang Dong-hyun predicted that fintech and Web3 companies with strong technological fit and rapid execution will lead RWA market growth. He also analyzed that in prediction markets, trading volume expansion and product diversification will occur centered on Polymarket, Kalshi, and Opinion, and platform competition will intensify. Researcher Jeong Ji-seong referenced the cases of Robinhood and Coinbase and foreshadowed the arrival of an era of superapp competition offering securities, tokenized securities, and derivatives on a single platform. He further projected that perp DEXs, including Hyperliquid, will grow into on-chain derivatives infrastructure based on token buyback flywheels and a perpetual futures lineup extending to RWAs. Kim Min-seung, head of the Korbit Research Center, said, "2026 will be a year in which institutionalized asset demand and favorable policy winds combine to propel virtual asset value beyond the existing four-year cycle model into a new dimension," adding, "Structural analysis to understand how liquidity, policy, and technological changes will reshape market structure is essential."

Domestic virtual asset exchange Coinone announced on the 8th that it will hold a customer event to celebrate the launch of the installment investment service 'Coinmoeugi'. Coinone's 'Coinmoeugi Launch Commemorative Event' runs from December 8 to December 14 (Sun) for a total of 7 days, and can be joined after registering an event code. During the event period, participation is completed if you succeed in 'Coinmoeugi' at least once for the asset you want. All participants who succeed in the mission will be provided with investment support funds. Up to 15 Tether (USDT) per participant, a total of 20,000 USDT will be distributed evenly. Event participation benefits are scheduled to be paid out on December 31, and to receive the benefits, participants must maintain an active Coinmoeugi service and consent to receive benefit notifications until the payment date. Coinone's marketing representative said, "We have prepared investment support benefits to commemorate the launch of Coinmoeugi and to expand customers' service usage experience. We hope you use Coinmoeugi to respond effectively to market volatility and also receive the generous event benefits."

South Korea's largest virtual asset exchange operator Dunamu, which runs Upbit, said on the 8th that it had frozen KRW 2.6 billion of assets damaged by hacking. Earlier, Upbit detected abnormal withdrawal activity on a virtual asset wallet in the Solana (SOL) network family on the 27th of last month and blocked deposits and withdrawals of the related virtual assets. Afterwards, Upbit fully covered KRW 38.6 billion of withdrawn customer assets with its own assets, and also strengthened the security of its wallet system across the board. Upbit's asset-tracking team is reported to have secured the on-chain movement paths and related addresses of the withdrawn digital assets through its self-developed 'On-chain Automatic Tracking Service (OTS)'. Upbit added those addresses to a blacklist and has requested exchanges worldwide to freeze funds if victim assets are deposited via those addresses. A Dunamu official said, "As an initial response, we froze KRW 2.3 billion of damaged assets five hours after the withdrawal on the day of the incident, and through additional cooperation we have frozen KRW 2.6 billion to date," adding, "Follow-up procedures are underway to safely recover the frozen assets." Upbit is also activating a reward program to increase the recovery rate of hacked assets. It targets virtual asset exchanges worldwide, white-hat hackers, security experts, and blockchain analysts. Upbit plans to pay individuals and organizations that contributed to the tracking and freezing of the victim assets 10% of the finally recovered assets as recovery contribution rewards. Upbit said, "Customer victim assets have already been fully covered by Upbit's assets," and explained, "But we are persistently tracking and freezing to prevent assets from falling into the attackers' hands." It added, "We ask for active cooperation from virtual asset exchanges and the blockchain community worldwide to create a safe virtual asset ecosystem."

Domestic virtual asset exchange Bithumb announced on the 8th that it has partnered with education company YBM Net and will run the 'TOEIC Spec-Up Promotion' event until February next year. The core of the promotion is offering YBM Net's 'TOEIC test package' at a price discounted by up to 65%. The package consists of TOEIC online lectures, mock tests, learning feedback, and one regular exam admission ticket. The promotion targets new and existing Bithumb members. First, Bithumb plans to provide benefits of up to 230,000 won to first-time registrants. After signing up for Bithumb, if users enter the coupon number for new members from the YBM Net event page into the Bithumb application (app), 50,000 won in Bithumb Points and 20,000 won in Bithumb KRW, totaling 70,000 won, will be immediately provided. A voucher that allows purchasing YBM Net's TOEIC test package at 39,000 won, an 80% discount from the original 199,000 won, is also provided. Existing Bithumb members can also receive benefits by checking the coupon number on the YBM Net event page and registering it in the app. Existing members will be given a voucher that allows purchasing the TOEIC test package for 69,000 won. Vouchers are sent in bulk by text message every Tuesday. Coupon registration is possible once per account. The provided Bithumb benefits can be used for 30 days from the date of issuance. A Bithumb official said, "We prepared benefits that can be of practical help to Bithumb members who focus on self-development during winter vacation," and "We will continue to expand collaborations in various fields to provide valuable experiences in users' daily lives."