South Korean Crypto Exchanges Suffer 78% Profit Drop Amid Trading Slump

South Korean crypto exchanges saw significant declines in profits and trading activity during the first half of 2026. According to data from the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU), operating profits fell by 78% compared to the previous six months. The decline is attributed to a slump in trading volume, market valuations, and customer deposits.

The average daily trading volume at domestic virtual asset exchanges decreased by 44%, while market capitalization dropped 33%. Won-denominated deposits also declined by 35%. Meanwhile, exchange sales fell by 41% over the same period, despite a slight increase in the number of accounts eligible to trade by 0.4%.

The data comes as South Korean retail investors appear to be shifting their attention from crypto to the country's stock market. The value of crypto held by South Korean investors decreased by 50.2% to 60.6 trillion won ($41.4 billion) over roughly a year, according to ChosunBiz.

A Cointelegraph analysis found that combined average daily volume across major exchanges had fallen significantly, while the KOSPI stock index more than doubled over the same period.