Korea Investment & Securities said on June 4 it had agreed to acquire about 20% of South Korean crypto exchange Coinone. This marks the brokerage’s move into digital assets.

The deal would make Korea Investment & Securities a joint third-largest shareholder in Coinone alongside OKX Ventures, the investment arm of cryptocurrency exchange OKX.

The deal would also give the brokerage exposure to Coinone’s trading platform.

Coinone handled about 1.8% of South Korea’s crypto trading volume in the first half of 2025, behind Upbit and Bithumb.

At a Seoul press conference, chief executive Kim Sung-hwan said the firm chose Coinone over larger rivals Upbit and Bithumb because of its security record, compliance capabilities, and shareholder structure.

Kim said planned rules on stablecoins and tokenized securities could bring digital assets closer to mainstream finance.

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission is set to publish detailed tokenized-securities rules in July, while a proposed Digital Asset Basic Act is also expected to cover stablecoins.

🔗 Source: The Korea Herald