South Korea's oldest crypto exchange is now part of the $1 trillion Mirae Group family

Markets South Korea's oldest crypto exchange is now part of the $1 trillion Mirae Group family Korbit, South Korea's first cryptocurrency exchange, has joined the Mirae Asset Group family, marking the first time a traditional Korean financial group's affiliate has taken a controlling stake in a domestic crypto exchange. By Omkar Godbole | Edited by Shaurya Malwa Jul 23, 2026, 7:05 a.m. 2 min read Make preferred on Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Make preferred on Korbit becomes part of the Mirae family. (CoinDesk archive) Summary Show Mirae Asset Consulting, an affiliate of financial giant Mirae Asset Group, now holds a 97.15% stake in Korbit. This makes Mirae Asset Consulting Korbit’s largest shareholder but does not change the corporate entity operating the exchange or disrupt user services, deposits or withdrawals. Korbit, South Korea's first homegrown crypto exchange founded in 2013, now has a new home and its a traditional finance behemoth. The exchange announced Thursday that it is now part of the Mirae Asset Group family, which reportedly had an AUM of $1 trillion as of May. The acquiring entity is Mirae Asset Consulting, an affiliate of Mirae Asset Group, which has acquired Korbit's shares through mandated regulatory reporting procedures, becoming the largest shareholder. The announcement clarified that there are no changes to Korbit Co., Ltd., the corporation that operates Korbit. The affiliate firm also looks after the group's hotels and golf course businesses and now reportedly holds a 97.15% stake in Korbit. For the exchange users, the acquisition by the Mirae affiliate brings no immediate disruption. The exchange said that all services, such as login, trading, deposits and withdrawals, will continue without interruption. User deposits and virtual assets will continue to be held separately from company assets, consistent with South Korea's Act on the Protection of Virtual Asset Users. Personal data processing also remains unchanged and requires no action from users. The deal is a telltale sign of traditional players increasingly looking at existing crypto participants to expand their footprint in digital assets. Especially in a country like South Korea where retail crypto trading volumes often rival those on stock exchanges, owning a licensed exchange becomes a meaningful strategic asset. A similar trend has been seen in other parts of Asia. For instance, SBI Group, the Japanese financial conglomerate, agreed to acquire the Tokyo-based crypto exchange Bitbank for $289 million and to purchase a majority stake in the Singapore-based Coinhako. CoinDesk reached out to both Mirae and Korbit for comment. South Korea Latest Crypto News 1 Bitcoin, Ethereum-linked protocols lose $35 million in multiple attacks hours apart 1 hour ago 2 Arbitrum-based AFX Trade drained of $24 million after bridge keys compromised 2 hours ago 3 XRP whales accumulate as small holders capitulate 3 hours ago 4 Bitcoin wilts as oil and rates rise. Clarity Act odds tumble to 38% 4 hours ago 5 Senator Lummis: Ethics, other provisions in crypto Clarity Act to be further discussed 8 hours ago 6 Key Democratic lawmakers say crypto Clarity Act 'falls short' on ethics, other issues 9 hours ago 7 Tesla holds bitcoin treasury steady, reports $112M impairment loss 11 hours ago 8 New draft of Clarity Act is out, and it would impose limits on Trump's crypto empire 15 hours ago 9 Revolut hits $115 billion valuation in employee share sale: WSJ 16 hours ago 10 SEC's Peirce warns some DeFi vaults, onchain lending may fall under securities laws 16 hours ago Latest Research Crypto Flows, Share and the Selective Rotation Crypto Flows, Share and the Selective Rotation Markets repositioned since June, but Binance held share (~55% user funds, ~24% spot) and drew net inflows in early July while the tracked market saw outflows. By CoinDesk Research 17 hours ago Markets repositioned since June, but Binance held share (~55% user funds, ~24% spot) and drew net inflows in early July while the tracked market saw outflows. Why it matters: Markets repositioned since June, but Binance held share (~55% user funds, ~24% spot) and drew net inflows in early July while the tracked market saw outflows. View Full Report More From Markets XRP whales accumulate as small holders capitulate Bitcoin wilts as oil and rates rise. Clarity Act odds tumble to 38% Tesla holds bitcoin treasury steady, reports $112M impairment loss