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While global regulators have become increasingly cautious about corporate involvement in the crypto asset sector, South Korea is taking the opposite approach. Despite being one of the world's most active crypto trading markets in recent years, South Korea's long-standing ban on corporate and institutional participation has led to significant capital outflows and market imbalances. According to statistics, approximately 160 trillion KRW (around 11 billion USD) in crypto assets were transferred to overseas exchanges for trading in 2025.
As the Financial Services Commission of South Korea plans to lift the nine-year ban on corporate crypto investments, allowing listed companies and professional institutions to allocate up to 5% of their equity into mainstream digital assets such as Bitcoin, the landscape of Asia's crypto market is quietly transforming. This article aims to deeply analyze the underlying reasons behind South Korea's policy shift, compare the regulatory tightening paths of Hong Kong and Japan, and explore the potential long-term impacts of this change on corporate crypto asset allocation across the Asia-Pacific region.