On the afternoon of Oct. 17, the Bitcoin and other virtual asset prices are displayed on the electronic board at the Bithumb Lounge in Seocho-gu, Seoul. /Courtesy of News1

The number of domestic virtual asset users has surpassed 15 million for the first time. The average amount of money used in virtual asset transactions per day has also skyrocketed to near 15 trillion won.

According to data submitted by the Bank of Korea to Im Kwang-hyun of the Democratic Party on the 25th, the number of domestic virtual asset users was reported to be 15.59 million as of the end of November. This represents an increase of 610,000 compared to the end of October. This statistic counts the number of users who hold accounts on the five major Korean won-based exchanges (Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and GOPAX), with multiple accounts by the same individual on different exchanges being counted.

Considering the national population of 51.23 million, this means that one in three citizens is investing in virtual assets. The number of users has increased by 770,000 from 14.82 million in July, marking a rise after four months. This is the first time the Bank of Korea has made statistics on virtual assets public.

As of the end of November, the total value of users' virtual asset holdings (market value) amounts to 102.6 trillion won. The average daily transaction volume of virtual assets in November was recorded at 14.9 trillion won.

Representative Im Kwang-hyun noted, "The scale of virtual asset transactions is rapidly increasing to a level comparable to the stock market," and he emphasized that preparation is necessary at the government level to enhance the stability of the virtual asset market and to establish sound market transactions that protect users' rights.