South Korea Crypto Trading Volumes Fall as KOSPI Surges Ecosystem English News
MarketsMagazine Sponsored About DOGE$0.07241 0.47%TRX$0.3283 0.60%LINK$8.63 0.40%ZEC$514.75
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2.66%SOL$77.70 0.05%HYPE$59.09 0.07%Written by Ezra Reguerrastaff writerReviewed by Robert Lakinstaff editorWritten by
Ezra Reguerrastaff writerReviewed by Robert Lakinstaff editorSouth Korea crypto volumes shrink as retail investors shift
to stocksLatest NewsPublishedJul 22, 2026Trading activity on South Korea’s five major crypto exchanges fell sharply as
the KOSPI surged, signaling a shift in retail investors toward equities.South Korea’s major crypto exchanges have seen
their trading activity fall sharply over the past year as the country’s stock market surged, suggesting retail
speculative interest may be shifting toward equities, Cointelegraph analysis shows. The Korea Composite Stock Price
Index (KOSPI) benchmark more than doubled over the period, while volumes across the country’s largest won-based crypto
platforms contracted.Cointelegraph reviewed CoinGecko’s historical 24-hour volume readings for Upbit, Bithumb,
Coinone, Korbit and Gopax, comparing seven-day periods in July 2025 and July 2026. After calculating the average daily
volume and year-over-year percentage change, Cointelegraph took the simple, unweighted average of the five declines,
producing an average drop of about 77%. This gives each exchange equal weight regardless of trading volume. However, on
a combined basis, average daily volume fell about 89%, to $305 million from $2.82 billion in the comparable July 2025
period. ZDNet Korea separately reported that daily volume across the five exchanges was down 88% year-on-year on
Monday. It said weaker fee income had pushed some platforms to sell crypto holdings, including Korbit, which raised
about 1.6 billion won (about $1 million) by selling 15 Bitcoin (BTC) and 60 Ether (ETH).South Korea is one of crypto’s
most active retail markets, with exchanges relying heavily on trading fees. A sustained preference for equities could
weaken crypto liquidity and squeeze smaller platforms, reshaping how local investors allocate capital between
speculative assets. Korea Composite Stock Price Index’s one-year chart. Source: Yahoo FinanceSouth Korea’s KOSPI
rose 114.44% over the 12 months to July 22, according to Yahoo Finance data, even after retreating from its peak in
June. The rally contrasts with shrinking activity on won-based crypto exchanges, suggesting retail investor attention is
shifting toward equities. Retail fatigue gives institutions room to step in A Tiger Research report published on
CoinGecko and updated on April 17 said that South Korea’s falling crypto activity reflects more than weaker prices.
The report said recycled narratives and projects that failed to deliver contributed to investor fatigue, while the KOSPI
rally gave retail traders more places to pursue returns. Tiger Research said the widening gap between equity turnover
and crypto volume did not necessarily mean that Koreans had lost interest in crypto, but rather that investors had more
alternatives. Related: South Korea eyes September launch for second phase of CBDC pilot: ReportThe report described the
market as in structural transition with retail investors stepping back while institutions move in. Banks and financial
groups were positioning around won-denominated stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) and exchange investments
even before legislation was finalized. Tiger said institutional activity could be a healthy replacement for some of the
retreating retail participation, although institutions were still finding their footing. Magazine: Inside the ‘fake
police raid’ that forced a $1M Bitcoin transfer Subscribe to daily byte-sized crypto news from Cointelegraph Subscribe
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