The value of cryptocurrency held by South Korean investors more than halved over the past year, falling to 60.6 trillion won ($41.4 billion) by the end of February 2026 from 121.8 trillion won ($83.3 billion) at the end of January 2025.

Daily trading volumes across the country’s five major exchanges, including Upbit, Bithumb, Korbit, Coinone and Gopax, also took a hit, collapsing to $3 billion by February compared to $11.6 billion in December 2024, Korean outlet The Chosun Daily reported, citing data the Bank of Korea submitted to Rep. Cha Gyu-geun of the Rebuilding Korea Party.

Won deposits held at exchanges, a proxy for investor dry powder, also fell to 7.8 trillion won from 10.7 trillion won at end-2024. The drop is attributed to a…