It was found that Korea's virtual asset transaction volume fell sharply last year due to declines in the market capitalization of major virtual assets and a weak market.
According to the results of the "Second half 2025 virtual asset service provider survey" released on the 25th by the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Financial Supervisory Service, prices of major virtual assets fell in the second half of last year. Also, users and won deposits at virtual asset exchanges increased, but transaction volume, operating profit, and market capitalization decreased.
The market capitalization of virtual assets listed on domestic virtual asset exchanges fell 8%, from 95.1 trillion won in the first half of last year to 87.2 trillion won. The average daily transaction volume by virtual asset investors also declined 15%, from 6.4 trillion won in the first half of last year to 5.4 trillion won.
The concentration of domestic investors in the won market continues, and the coin market's market capitalization decreased compared with the first half. However, the coin market's transaction volume is rising, and the size of operating losses also narrowed.
The amount of virtual assets transferred outside exchanges to external destinations increased, but the amount subject to the travel rule (100 million won or more per withdrawal for registered businesses) decreased. Transfers subject to the whitelist (overseas businesses and personal wallets) also increased. The number of users of wallet and custody service providers rose slightly, but total assets under custody fell sharply due to declines in reference prices for some custodied virtual assets.