Korean banks see over $1.5B outflow in funds to crypto market

Japan is moving to pull its cryptocurrency market firmly inside the regulated financial system. A bill approved by the cabinet this month would reclassify digital assets as financial products, while separate developments in blockchain infrastructure and corporate treasury strategy suggest the shift extends well beyond Tokyo's rulebook. The cabinet approved the bill on April 10 to amend the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, according to Nikkei. The legislation would bring cryptocurrencies under the regulated financial system and mark a departure from the previous framework, which had largely treated them as payment instruments under the Payment Services Act.Photo by Louie Martinez on UnsplashTighter rules take shapeIf enacted, the new rules could take effect as early as 2027. They would prohibit insider trading based on undisclosed information, require issuers to file annual disclosures, and redesignate licensed firms from "crypto-asset exchange operators" to "crypto-asset trading operators." Penalties for operating an unregistered business would also be stiffened, with maximum prison terms raised to 10 years from three and fines increased to 10 million yen ($63,000) from 3 million yen ($19,000). The changes align with the government's broader effort to strengthen market integrity, transparency, and investor protection. The regulatory tightening comes as firms work to build compliant blockchain infrastructure. SBI Ripple Asia, a joint venture between SBI Holdings and Ripple, announced on April 7 that it had completed development of a token issuance system based on the XRP Ledger. The company described the project as financial infrastructure for issuing and managing prepaid payment instruments as tokens on a public blockchain. Such instruments, regulated under current Japanese law, could be handled via apps, websites, and APIs. SBI Ripple Asia added that it completed regulatory registration on March 26 as an issuer of third-party prepaid payment instruments. Corporate treasuries expand crypto betsListed companies are also increasing their exposure to digital assets. WIZE, a Tokyo-listed firm formerly known as Mobcast Holdings, reported holdings of 24,597 SOL as of April 10, valued at roughly $3.13 million (about 498 million yen). The company had announced in October 2025 that it would begin building a Solana reserve, and the latest disclosure suggests corporate crypto holdings in Japan are expanding beyond Bitcoin (BTC).Metaplanet remains the most aggressive example of the trend. Chief Executive Simon Gerovich said on X that the company purchased 5,075 BTC in the first quarter and now holds 40,177 BTC, acquired for a cumulative 623.37 billion yen ($3.92 billion) at an average purchase price of 15,515,598 yen ($97,600) per coin.

Bitcoin records this year’s highest in Korean market, surpassing KRW 60MBitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, exceeded the KRW 60 million (approximately $45,700) mark in the South Korean market on Wednesday (local time), reaching its highest value of the year.So far today, the nation’s leading crypto exchange, Upbit, saw Bitcoin’s price soaring to a daily peak of KRW 60,642,000. Meanwhile, another major trading platform, Bithumb, observed Bitcoin’s value touching a daily high of KRW 60,775,000.Photo by André François McKenzie on UnsplashHighest since November 2021This is the first time Bitcoin went above the KRW 60 million mark since November 2021. Amid this development, the Kimchi premium, a term indicating the gap in crypto prices between Korean exchanges and their foreign counterparts, has exceeded 4%. According to data from crypto information platform CoinNess, at the time of publication, the average price of Bitcoin on Korean platforms is KRW 59,986,250, while the average price of Bitcoin on foreign platforms is KRW 57,605,406.Ethereum prices are also on the rise. On Upbit, Ethereum reached its highest point of the day at KRW 3,163,000, and on Bithumb, it peaked at KRW 3,162,000.Rate hike halt and Bitcoin halvingThe ongoing surge in Bitcoin’s value is widely believed to be influenced by a halt in global interest rate hikes and the anticipated Bitcoin halving event scheduled for April 2024. Additionally, the potential approval of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is seen as another significant factor contributing to the rise in the digital currency’s prices.Meanwhile, the Crypto Fear and Greed Index from software comparison platform Alternative.me currently indicates a sentiment of “Greed” with a score of 72. This index assesses various factors, including volatility, market momentum and volume, social media buzz, market dominance and trends. The scale ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 signifies “Extreme Fear” and 100 represents “Extreme Greed.” Scores nearer to 0 suggest increasing fear among investors, potentially signaling a buying opportunity. On the other hand, scores approaching 100 imply growing greed, hinting at the possibility of a market correction.Korean won as the top fiat trading pairDuring this latest Bitcoin rally, where the cryptocurrency climbed to over 50% of its highest price in almost two years, South Korean crypto traders have played a significant role, Bloomberg reported, citing data from CCData. In November, the South Korean won exceeded the U.S. dollar as the top fiat trading pair in the crypto market for the first time.

The Shanghai office of a Chinese regulatory body which oversees assets belonging to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is reported to have held a session dedicated to the topic of digital assets and in particular, stablecoins, fueling speculation of a positive shift in outlook on crypto in China.Photo by Hanny Naibaho on UnsplashOn July 11, Reuters reported that the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) held the meeting in Shanghai on July 10, with the publication suggesting that the event represented “a marked shift in tone” in the consideration of digital assets in China, bearing in mind that crypto trading and mining are banned within the country. Following the “development trend and response strategies” study session, He Qing, director of the organization, said that there was a need for "greater sensitivity to emerging technologies and enhanced research into digital currencies." The regulator called on Chinese state-backed agencies to consider the adoption of blockchain technology for use cases like real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, supply chain finance and cross-border trade. A policy expert from Shanghai-headquartered securities firm, Guotai Haitong Securities, attended the meeting, outlining details on the history, characteristics and categories of cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, while also discussing global regulatory frameworks. Last month, a subsidiary company of Guotai Haitong Securities, Guotai Junan International (GTJAI), became the first company from the Chinese mainland to be given approval by the Hong Kong securities regulator to offer digital asset trading services. Adapting to the stablecoin trendIn June, state-owned financial newspaper, Securities Times, called on Beijing to adapt “to the trend of stablecoins.” The publication claimed that industry insiders “generally believe that, as an emerging payment tool, the unique advantages and potential risks of stablecoins cannot be ignored, and that the development of [yuan-backed] stablecoins should be sooner rather than later”. The same month, Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People’s Bank of China, acknowledged that stablecoins are playing a role in disrupting global payments infrastructure.  It also emerged recently that JD.com, a Chinese e-commerce giant, and Ant Group, an affiliate company of the Alibaba Group, have been lobbying the Chinese authorities for the authorization of yuan-based stablecoins. On X, Shanghai Macro Strategist, a China strategist, claimed that the recent surge in the Bitcoin unit price had come about as a consequence of this stablecoin-focused SASAC meeting in Shanghai. At the time of writing, BTC has appreciated 9.3% over the course of the past seven days. The strategist suggests that the event is fueling speculation that “the Chinese government may be in the early stages of reassessing its official stance on the crypto industry.” In their monthly report for May, the strategist pointed out that “Beijing’s outright rejection of [Bitcoin] as a legitimate asset” was holding the leading asset back on its path to “reserve status.” The strategist added: “Over the longer term, a shift in China’s stance could prove to be the single most powerful bullish catalyst—elevating Bitcoin from a fringe asset to a globally recognized store of value.”