South Korean crypto exchange operating profit fell 78% in the first half of the year, with average daily trading volume down 44% month-on-month.

According to Cointelegraph, data from the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU) shows that operating profits of crypto exchanges in South Korea fell by 78% in the first half of 2026 compared to the previous six-month period, while exchange sales declined by 41% over the same timeframe. Market trading activity also cooled noticeably, with the average daily trading volume at domestic virtual asset exchanges dropping by 44% compared to the prior period. The total market capitalization of crypto assets decreased by 33%, KRW-denominated customer deposits fell by 35%, but the number of accounts eligible for trading saw a slight increase of 0.4%. The survey covered 26 registered virtual asset service providers, including 17 exchange operators and 9 custodian and wallet service providers, with data spanning from January 1 to June 30 this year.