Major banks are preparing to launch won-pegged stablecoins while new leadership supports crypto integration.
Over 25% of South Koreans aged 20 to 50 now hold digital assets, with crypto accounting for 14% of their overall financial portfolios, according to a new report by the Hana Institute of Finance.
According to the report, 31% of crypto ownership is held by investors in their 40s, 28% in their 30s, and 25% by persons in their 50s, narrowing the age gap between crypto ownership to 22%.
Most investors between 50 and 59, 78%, said they invest in crypto as a means of wealth accumulation on their side, and 53% are using it to save towards retirement. The interest is not diminishing either, as 70% of all respondents wanted to invest more in crypto. Traditional financial institutions’ role and more robust legal protection were cited as having a role in raising confidence.
Current crypto users are dominated by white-collar men in their 30s and 40s. The report, however, states that trading strategies are maturing. Frequent crypto purchases increased by 34% and medium-term activity increased by 47%. Short-term speculative trading marginally fell.
Bitcoin leads, but users begin diversifying holdings
Bitcoin is still the most popular, as six out of ten investors own BTC. However, with increased experience, most are venturing into altcoins and stablecoins. NFTs and security tokens are still unpopular, as nine out of ten investors prefer to keep only coin investments.
Banking restrictions became a major problem. Seven in ten investors said they would prefer their main bank for crypto transactions if allowed to link multiple accounts. Currently, South Korea only allows one bank account per exchange, which is very strict and limits user experience and flexibility.
Youth unemployment in South Korea is currently high at 6.6%, more than double the national average. The increasing cost of housing and the overall lack of wage increases are pushing young Koreans into high-risk crypto investments. This contrasts with older investors, who increasingly appreciate crypto for conducting structured savings and long-term wealth planning.
KB Kookmin Bank pushes forward with stablecoin filings
Institutional action is picking up pace. Recently, South Korea-based KB Kookmin Bank submitted 17 trademarks potentially related to a future stablecoin product, including designations such as KBKRW and KRWST. Both filings were filed with the Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Services and cover software for virtual currency and blockchain-based systems.
These trademarks are part of the bank’s wider plans to develop a national stablecoin consortium. KB is among eight big banks planning a joint venture to issue won-pegged stablecoins. The effort is coordinated with Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute and the Open Blockchain and Decentralised Identifier Association.
Such steps correspond to the political shift with President Lee Jae-myung, whose government is likely to accelerate the institutional adoption of crypto.
Although crypto was not featured in his inauguration speech, the Democratic Party Digital Asset Committee plans to push regulatory reforms and integrate crypto into the financial system. Lee will be in charge of significant crypto policies in South Korea, such as the possible implementation of the Digital Asset Basic Act (DABA). This move started with Yoon, who had campaigned on it but could not witness it to completion since he was relieved early.
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