Coinone, a won-based domestic virtual asset exchange, said on the 9th that it will mark its 12th anniversary this month. Founded in Feb. 2014, Coinone, a first-generation virtual asset operator, has led industry trends by introducing a range of Blockchain-based services.
Services first launched by Coinone have now become standard in the domestic virtual asset industry. For example, Coinone was the first domestic exchange to support transactions of Ethereum (ETH). At the time, when investors took it for granted that virtual assets meant only Bitcoin (BTC), it is credited with broadening their perception.
It also introduced staking services to an industry that had been centered on trading. Staking allowed investors to contribute indirectly to Blockchain businesses and to invest more stably through rewards. In Aug. last year, it drew attention by unveiling the nation's first Bitcoin (BTC) staking product using the Babylon protocol.
In 2024, it moved to expand into a user communication platform with "Coinone Community." Coinone Community is the only virtual asset community service among domestic exchanges. According to Coinone, the number of customers who checked in daily on Coinone Community nearly doubled from a year earlier last year.
It also holds various firsts in investor protection. In May 2017, to address information asymmetry, Coinone introduced a "virtual asset statement." By providing Korean-language summaries of virtual asset white papers written in English, it enabled investors to clearly identify the virtual assets they invest in and minimize speculative investing. Starting with Coinone, several exchanges now provide Korean-language white papers.
In Aug. 2017, it became the first domestic virtual asset exchange to purchase personal information liability insurance. Personal information protection liability insurance is a product that provides comprehensive management for personal information leaks stemming from cyber risks, and Coinone renews the policy every year.
In 2023, Coinone won the "22nd Information Security Awards," becoming the first-ever virtual asset operator to receive the honor. By winning the country's most prestigious award in information security, Coinone proved it has top-tier information security capabilities beyond the virtual asset industry.
A Coinone official said, "Over the past 12 years, we have been the fastest to grasp market trends and customer needs in virtual assets and have proactively introduced a variety of services that meet them," adding, "We will continue to fulfill our role as an exchange that leads the industry."